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pride to be fomewhat more than the world thought me.

Of generic names, indeed, people are not always very fcrupulous in the application, and therefore I could eafily pardon those who ranked me under the clafs of men which the title of Lounger diftinguishes. He whose walks are pointed neither to the reforts of the merchant, the lawyer, the foldier, or the churchman, it may fairly be fuppofed, has no motive for them at all; and the first of any of those professions who croffes him in his way, will accuse him of being a Lounger. He will ftill more seem to deferve that name, if he frequents their places of meeting without having any business congenial to thofe places.

The fame fuperiority will be affumed by the profeffedly idle as by the profeffionally bufy. In the haunts of amufement and of pleasure, the man who does not warmly worship the deity of the place, will be accounted a fupernumerary by his votaries. At balls and card-parties I have as frequently heard myself called a Lounger, as on Change or in Courts of Law.

Abroad, for I was prevailed on by a friend to accompany him for fome time on his travels, I was not just called a Linger, the French and Italian languages not podelly

nymous term, and those wh

xactly fyne

ch near

to it not being respectful enough to be applied to a stranger. Both nations indeed are idle with so much activity, and contrive to do nothing, and to fay nothing, with fo much interest in their looks, and fo much movement in their geftures, that it is no wonder the word fhould not find a place in their vocabulary: but they too marked fome traces of my character; though, as is their custom, they tacked a compliment to their draught of it. "Monfieur," faid the Abbé —, at a petit souper of Madame de V's, at Paris, "Monfieur eft quelquefois “Rêveur, mais toujours intéressant, toujours "aimable !"

On all thofe occafions, however, I was not quite fo idle as thofe around me imagined. Like Alfred in the Danish camp, I harped for them, but obferved for myself; and like him too, enjoyed my obfervation the more that it was fecret and unfufpected. If this refemblance fhould convey some idea of treachery, of advantage over those with whom I associated, let it be known, at least, that in the use of it I was perfectly inoffenfive. The Lounger is one of the beft-natured characters in the world, even in the sense which I allow the term to apply to myself. "Tis the player who frets, and scolds, and is angry the looker-on fees more errors in the play; but he applies them only to the theory of B 3.

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pride to be fomewhat more than the world thought me.

Of generic names, indeed, people are not always very fcrupulous in the application, and therefore I could easily pardon those who ranked me under the clafs of men which the title of Lounger diftinguishes. He whose walks are pointed neither to the reforts of the merchant, the lawyer, the foldier, or the churchman, it may fairly be fuppofed, has no motive for them at all; and the first of any of those professions who croffes him in his way, will accufe him of being a Lounger. He will ftill more feem to deferve that name, if he frequents their places of meeting without having any business congenial to thofe places.

The fame fuperiority will be affumed by the profeffedly idle as by the profeffionally bufy. In the haunts of amufement and of pleasure, the man who does not warmly worship the deity of the place, will be accounted a fupernumerary by his votaries. At balls and card-parties I have as frequently heard myself called a Lounger, as on Change or in Courts of Law.

Abroad, for I was prevailed on by a friend. to accompany him for fome time on his travels, I was not just called a Lounger, the French and Italian languages not poffeffing an exactly synonymous term, and those which approach nearest

to

to it not being respectful enough to be applied to a stranger. Both nations indeed are idle with so much activity, and contrive to do nothing, and to fay nothing, with fo much intereft intheir looks, and fo much movement in their geftures, that it is no wonder the word fhould not find a place in their vocabulary: but they too marked fome traces of my character ; though, as is their custom, they tacked a compliment to their draught of it. "Monfieur," faid the Abbé -, at a petit fouper of Madame de V's, at Paris, "Monfieur eft quelquefois "Rêveur, mais toujours intéreffant, toujours "aimable !"

On all thofe occafions, however, I was not quite fo idle as those around me imagined. Like Alfred in the Danish camp, I harped for them, but obferved for myfelf; and like him too, enjoyed my obfervation the more that it was fecret and unfufpected. If this resemblance should convey fome idea of treachery, of advantage over those with whom I affociated, let it be known, at least, that in the ufe of it I was perfectly inoffensive. The Lounger is one of the beft-natured characters in the world, even in the sense which I allow the term to apply to myfelf. 'Tis the player who frets, and scolds, and is angry the looker-on fees more errors in the play; but he applies them only to the theory of

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the game, and thinks but little of the party who

commits them.

As a Lounger, I had from my earliest age been fond of books, and fometimes ventured to write when I was tired of reading. A Lounger of the fort I could wish to be thought, is one who, even amidst a certain intercourfe with mankind, preferves a conftant intimacy with himself; it is not therefore to be wondered at, if he fhould fometimes, if I may be allowed the expreffion, correfpond with himself, and write down, if he can write at all, what he wishes this favourite companion more particularly to remark. Exactly of this fort are the notes and memorandums I have fometimes been tempted to make: tranfcripts of what I have felt or thought, or little records of what I have heard or read, fet down without any other arrangement than what the difpofition of the time might prompt. These little papers formed a kind of new fociety, which I could command at any time, without stirring from my fire-fide. It was, of all forts of company, the most fitted for a Lounger; company in which he could be unaccommodating without offence, and inattentive without incivility.

The idea of giving thofe trifles to the world in the form of periodical effays, is an effort beyond the ufual force of my character. Unknown, however, as a Man, and new as an

Author,

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