tion, an unbounded licence of teeth) we are nevertheless under indelible obligations to prevent their suffering any degree of pain, more than is absolutely unavoidable. But this conviction lies in such hands, that I fear not one poor creature in a million has ever fared the better for it, and I believe never will; since people of condition, the only source from whence this pity is to flow, are so far from inculcating it to those beneath them, that a very few winters ago they suffered themselves to be entertained at a public theatre by the performances of an unhappy company of animals, who could only have been made actors by the utmost energy of whipcord and starving.

I acknowledged my tenderness to be particularly affected in favour of so faithful and useful a creature as a dog: an animal so approaching to us in sense, so dependent upon us for support, and so peculiarly the friend of man, that he deserves the kindest and most gentle usage. For no less than the whole race of these animals I have been under the greatest alarms, ever since the tax upon dogs was first reported to be in agitation. I thought it a little hard indeed, that a man should be taxed for having one creature in his house in which he might confide; but when I heard that officers were to be appointed, to knock out the brains of all these honest domestics, who should presume to make their appearance in the streets without the passport of their master's name about their necks, I became seriously concerned for them.

This enmity against dogs is pretended to be founded upon the apprehension of their going mad: but an easier remedy might be applied by abolishing the custom (with many others equally ingenious) of tying bottles and stones to their tails; by which means (and in this one particular I must give up

my clients) the unfortunate sufferer becomes subject to the persecutions of his own species, too apt to join the run against a brother in distress. But great allowance should be made for an animal, who, in an intimacy of near six thousand with man, has learnt but one of his bad qualities.

years

To conclude this subject: as I cannot but join in opinion with Mr. Hogarth, that the frequency of murders among us is greatly owing to those scenes of cruelty, which the lower ranks of people are so much accustomed to; instead of multiplying such scenes, I should rather hope that some proper method might not be fixed upon, either for preventing them, or removing them out of sight; so that our infants might not grow up into the world in a familiarity with blood. If we may believe the naturalists, that a lion is a gentle animal till his tongue has been dipped in blood, what precaution ought we to use to prevent man from being inured to it, who has such superiority of power to do mischief?

No. 191. THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 1756.

SIR,

Difficile est Satiram non scribere.

TO MR. FITZ-ADAM.

Juv.

It has always appeared to me that there is something extremely absurd in a general satire: for as it will always instruct vanity how to shun, and enable impudence to reject its application, I cannot discover that it is likely to answer any better pur

pose, than that of giving encouragement to rogues, and administering comfort to fools.

This species of writing is by no means of modern invention, and consequently can have no essential connection with the reigning manners of the present times. If we examine the satirists of any other age, we shall find that they have all unanimously followed the example of their father Simonides, and represented the human species in a very unnatural light; nor do I think it possible for any one to display his talents this way, without having recourse to the same expedient. From hence I would infer, that the description of a monstrous character, in those early days of simplicity and innocence, was considered only as an ingenious piece of invention, and that their false notion of wit was the sole occasion of their giving into such a ridiculous custom. And this, as I take it, will be sufficient to account for its being so fashionable with us at this time, though there be manifestly no other reason for our admitting it, than because we are pleased to fancy the judgment of the ancients, and love to copy indiscriminately from all their models with a servile veneration. But supposing this to be a true representation of the case before us, and that men of wit never satirize with any offensive design, but purely for the sake of displaying their abilities; yet what shall we say for those churlish malecontents, who pretend to write satire, with no other earthly talent for it than rank malevolence? Why truly, it is to be feared, they have no less exasperating a reason for reviling all mankind, than because they are deservedly despised by every body that knows them. For as it is absurd to suppose, that a man who has always been very civilly treated by the world, should have any inclination to fall out with it in good earnest, so every worthless fellow who

has been justly mortified by its contempt or aversion, will naturally be provoked to expose himself to its utmost derision, by a silly attempt to retaliate the insult. And hence it is, that if a few splenetic conceited wretches are not caressed up to the extravagant expectation of their own imaginary deserts, they shall immediately vent their resentment in all those alarming exclamations, which have, with equal propriety, been echoed through every century of the world. Then forsooth, that utter neglect of merit, which has been the constant reproach of every other age, shall once more be the peculiar infamy of this; then we shall be sunk again into the very dregs of time, and shall at length be most assuredly filling up that astonishing measure of iniquity, which has been just on the very brink of being completed, ever since the first judicial infliction of a universal deluge.

It is very remarkable that this whim of degeneracy has always been most prevalent in the most refined and enlightened ages, and that it has constantly increased in exact proportion with the progress of arts and sciences. Every considerate person, therefore, upon such a discovery, will of course be inclined to consider all invectives against the corruption of the present times, as so many convincing testimonies of our real improvement. I find, Mr. Fitz-Adam, it is your opinion, that the experience of our ancestors has not been entirely thrown away upon us, and that the world is likely to grow better and wiser the longer it lasts. I must own I am entirely of your way of thinking, and should be very ready to declare, was I not afraid of offending your modesty, how much benefit it is likely to receive from your weekly instructions.

To those who are sequestered from the more crowded scenes of life, and must therefore find

themselves forestalled almost on every subject, but such as the private fund of their own imaginations can furnish them with; to those, I say, it may seem very surprising that you should be able to procure so many fresh materials for the gratification of their curiosity. But the fancy of the polite multitude is inexhaustibly fertile; and they who are conversant with it at this time, will be so far from imagining that you are distressed for want of novelty, that they will rather think it impossible for the nimblest pen to keep pace with its innovations. The only thing that can give them any surprise is, that you should still be catching at every recent folly that comes in your way, when they can supply you with such a plentiful crop of new and unheard-of virtues. I am aware that new virtues will sound a little odd to some precise formal creatures, who have conceived a strange notion that all the virtues must eternally and invariably result from some certain unintelligible principles, which are called the relations and fitnesses of things. But surely no man in his senses would ever refuse to vary the fashion of his morals, if the taste of the times required it: for it would be absurd to the last degree, to suppose that it is not altogether as reasonable to dress out our manners to the best advantage, as to wear any external ornament for the recommendation of our persons; and not only because the common practice of the world will justify our using as much art in managing the former as the latter, but because it is difficult to conceive that there should be any more essential harm in new modelling a habit of the mind, than in altering the trim of a coat or waistcoat.

And really it is astonishing to think what an advantage our present improved state of morality has over all the ancient systems of virtue. If barely to avoid vice has been generally reckoned the begin