progeny which judgment propagates by conjunction with learning, but Othello is the vigorous and vivacious offspring of observation impregnated by genius. Cato affords a splendid exhibition of artificial and fictitious manners, and de5 livers just and noble sentiments, in diction easy; elevated, and harmonious, but its hopes and fears communicate no vibration to the heart; the composition refers us only to the writer; we pronounce the name of Cato, but we think on Addison.

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The work of a correct and regular writer is a garden accurately formed and diligently planted, varied with shades, and scented with flowers: the composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend their branches, and pines tower in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and 15 brambles, and sometimes giving shelter to myrtles and to roses; filling the eye with awful pomp, and gratifying the mind with endless diversity. Other poets display cabinets of precious rarities, minutely finished, wrought into shape, and polished into brightness. Shakespeare opens a mine which 20 contains gold and diamonds in unexhaustible plenty, though clouded by incrustations, debased by impurities, and mingled with a mass of meaner materials.

Oliver Goldsmith.

1728-1774.

BEAU TIBBS, A CHARACTER.

(From Essays, 1765.)

Though naturally pensive, yet I am fond of gay company and take every opportunity of thus dismissing the mind from duty. From this motive I am often found in the centre of a crowd, and wherever pleasure is to be sold am always a purchaser. In those places, without being remarked by any, 5 I join in whatever goes forward, work my passions into a similitude of frivolous earnestness, shout as they shout, and condemn as they happen to disapprove. A mind thus sunk for a while below its natural standard is qualified for stronger flights, as those first retire who would spring forward with 10 greater vigor.

Attracted by the serenity of the evening, a friend and I lately went to gaze upon the company in one of the public walks near the city. Here we sauntered together for some time, either praising the beauty of such as were handsome 15 or the dresses of such as had nothing else to recommend them. We had gone thus deliberately forward for some time, when my friend, stopping on a sudden, caught me by the elbow and led me out of the public walk. I could perceive, by the quickness of his pace and by his frequently looking behind, 20 that he was attempting to avoid somebody who followed. We now turned to the right, then to the left. As we went forward, he still went faster, but in vain: the person whom he attempted to escape hunted us through every doubling, and gained upon us each moment; so that at last we fairly stood 25 still, resolving to face what we could not avoid.

Our pursuer soon came up, and joined us with all the familiarity of an old acquaintance. "My dear Charles," cries he, shaking my friend's hand, "where have you been

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hiding this half a century? Positively I had fancied you were gone down to cultivate matrimony and your estate in the country." During the reply I had an opportunity of surveying the appearance of our new companion. His hat 5 was pinched up with peculiar smartness; his looks were pale, thin, and sharp; round his neck he wore a broad black ribbon, and in his bosom a buckle studded with glass; his coat was trimmed with tarnished twist; he wore by his side a sword with a black hilt; and his stockings of silk, though newly 10 washed, were grown yellow by long service. I was so much engaged with the peculiarity of his dress that I attended only to the latter part of my friend's reply, in which he complimented Mr. Tibbs on the taste of his clothes and the bloom in his countenance. "Pshaw, pshaw, Charles!" cried the 15 figure, no more of that if you love me. You know I hate flattery-on my soul I do; and yet, to be sure, an intimacy with the great will improve one's appearance, and a course of venison will fatten. And yet, faith, I despise the great as much as you do; but there are a great many damned honest 20 fellows among them, and we must not quarrel with one half because the other wants breeding. If they were all such as my Lord Mudler, one of the most good-natured creatures that ever squeezed a lemon, I should myself be among the number of their admirers. I was yesterday to dine at the Duchess of 25 Piccadilly's. My lord was there. 'Ned,' says he to me, 'Ned,' says he, 'I 'll hold gold to silver I can tell where you were poaching last night.' 'Poaching, my lord!' says I; 'faith, you have missed already; for I stayed at home, and let the girls poach for me. That's my way; I take a fine 30 woman as some animals do their prey-stand still, and, swoop, they fall into my mouth.'

"Ah, Tibbs, thou art an happy fellow," cried my companion, with looks of infinite pity. "I hope your fortune is as much improved as your understanding in such company? 25" Improved!" replied the other; "you shall know-but let it go no further—a great secret-five hundred a year to begin with. My lord's word of honor for it. His lordship took me down in his own chariot yesterday, and we had a tête-à-tête

dinner in the country, where we talked of nothing else." "I fancy you forgot, sir," cried I, "you told us but this moment of your dining yesterday in town!" "Did I say so?" replied he coolly; "to be sure, if I said so, it was so dined in town. Egad, now I do remember, I did dine in town; but I dined 5 in the country too; for you must know, my boys, I eat two dinners. By-the-bye, I am grown as nice as the devil in my eating. I'll teli you a pleasant affair about that. We were a select party of us to dine at Lady Grogram's, an affected piece, but let it go no farther-a secret. Well,' says I, 'I'll 10 hold a thousand guineas, and say done first, that'—But dear Charles, you are an honest creature; lend me half a crown for a minute or two, or so, just till-But harkee, ask me for it the next time we meet, or it may be twenty to one but I forget to pay you."

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When he left us, our conversation naturally turned upon so extraordinary a character. "His very dress," cries my friend, "is not less extraordinary than his conduct. If you meet him this day, you find him in rags; if the next, in embroidery. With those persons of distinction of whom he talks so famil-20 iarly he has scarce a coffee-house acquaintance. However, both for the interests of society, and perhaps for his own, Heaven has made him poor; and while all the world perceives his wants, he fancies them concealed from every eye. An agreeable companion, because he understands flattery; and all 25 must be pleased with the first part of his conversation, though all are sure of its ending with a demand on their purse. While his youth countenances the levity of his conduct, he may thus earn a precarious subsistence; but when age comes on, the gravity of which is incompatible with buffoonery, then 30 will he find himself forsaken by all, condemned in the decline of life to hang upon some rich family whom he once despised, there to undergo all the ingenuity of studied contempt, to be employed only as a spy upon the servants or a bugbear to frighten children into duty."

There are some acquaintances whom it is no easy matter to

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shake off. My little beau yesterday overtook me again in one of the public walks, and, slapping me on the shoulder, saluted me with an air of the most perfect familiarity. His dress was the same as usual, except that he had more powder 5 in his hair, wore a dirtier shirt, and had on a pair of temple spectacles, with his hat under his arm.

As I knew him to be an harmless, amusing little thing, I could not return his smiles with any degree of severity; so we walked forward on terms of the utmost intimacy, and in 10 a few minutes discussed all the usual topics of a general con

versation.

The oddities that marked his character, however, soon

began to appear. He bowed to several well-dressed persons, who, by their manner of returning the compliment, appeared 15 perfect strangers. At intervals he drew out a pocket-book, seeming to take memorandums before all the company, with much importance and assiduity. In this manner he led me through the length of the whole Mall, fretting at his absurdities, and fancying myself laughed at as well as he by every 20 spectator. "Blast

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When we were got to the end of our procession, me," cries he, with an air of vivacity, "I never saw the Park so thin in my life before! there's no company at all to-day; not a single face to be seen." "No company!" interrupted I, 25 peevishly; "no company where there is such a crowd? Why, man, there is too much. What are the thousands that have been laughing at us but company?” 'Lord, my dear," returned he, with the utmost good humor, "you seem immensely chagrined; but, blast me, when the world laughs at 30 me, I laugh at the world, and so we are even. My Lord Trip, Bill Squash the Creolian, and I sometimes make a party at being ridiculous. But I see you are grave; so if you are for a fine, grave, sentimental companion, you shall dine with my wife to-day; I must insist on't; I'll introduce you to 35 Mrs. Tibbs, a lady of as elegant qualifications as any in nature; she was bred-but that 's between ourselves-under the inspection of the Countess of Shoreditch. A charming body of voice!-but no more of that, she shall give us a song.

You