his coming hither. "Don't you think Mifs Cauftic, Sir," faid he, "one of the most ex"cellent women in the world? and then her "brother's affection for her! methinks I like "both the better every time he speaks of his "fifter. We were talking one day of a book "of receipts which she had copied.——“ There "wants one here," faid the Colonel, "which

my fifter poffeffes beyond any body I know; "a receipt for making people happy."She "has a way of doing kind things with fo little "pretenfion! She had talked lately of getting "fome pieces of drefs from town, and when she "heard of my fetting out, had put twenty "guineas into my hand as her agent in the "bufiefs; but when he took leave of me, "fhe faid, fhe found the fhould have no occafion "for any addition to her wardrobe this year. But you muft lay out the twenty "guineas," faid fhe, " in looking at the fashion"able dreffes of this winter, that you may be "able to inftruct me in my purchases for the "next."

"You never faw the Colonel (continued his "young friend) in better health or fpirits than "he is at present. He put one or two of his "old guns in order on my account, and walked "out with me himfelf, to fhew me the grounds "where the game was to be found, which he

" fays

"fays was almost as plentiful this feafon, as it 66 was when he was a fhooter."-" Why does "he not come to town?" faid I." I asked "him that question, Sir; but he told me he "did not intend to be in town; and yet I be"lieve he was much the better for his last ex"curfion hither."-" I am perfuaded the jour

ney would be of fervice to him."- His young relation fmiled. "I believe it was not fo much "the journey to Edinburgh, as the follies he "faw there, that did him fo much good. He “swallowed a thousand impertinences, he says, "when here; and his fifter tells me he has "chewed the cud on them ever fince. Every "time he related any of them to her or to me, "he feemed to be better pleafed with himself, "and with the times which he calls his own; though I am happy to believe that he will “live these dozen years, to tell us that he has "nothing to do with the prefent times. He "fays, he does not intend being in town again, "because the novelty that amufed him the laf "time he was there is over. I fhould only find, "faid he, the fame follies and the fame vices; "the fame coarfe or frivolous men, and the "fame vulgar or giddy women, I saw there two "winters ago."

"But you may affure him," faid I, " he is mif"taken; that I have received undoubted intelli

VOL. III.

M

❝gence;

"gence, that there is to be no folly, no vice among "us this winter; that our private fociety is to "be decent and well-bred, our public places or"derly and well regulated; that there will be no "bludgeon'd beaux to justle him in his walks, "nor female cavaliers to ftare him out of coun"tenance; that our dinners are to afford the "elegant entertainment of Attic conviviality, "the feast of reason, and the flow of foul;" "that the tea-tables of the ladies are to be "fchools of delicacy, refinement, and inftruc❝tive conversation; that Lady Rumpus has "learned filence, old-fobriety, and his fon "decorum, that our affemblies, instead of "fine ladies lolloping through country-dances "with fine men, are to be filled with fine women; "who are to dance minuets with fine gentlemen; "that at our concerts people of fashion are to "liften to the mufic, and that the music is to be "worth the listening to; that our Theatre"But you shall hear what it is to be from better

authority. I received this very morning a "letter on that fubject, which, among other "novelties, you may communicate to the Colo"nel. Here it is, fealed with a Shakespeare's head, and dated from Holyroodhouse."

I

SIR,

To the AUTHOR of the Lounger.

Prefume, from the uniform practice of your predeceffors, and indeed from feveral of your earlier Papers, that the ftate of the Theatre is by no means a fubject of indifference to you. In this belief, I make bold to trouble you with a Letter concerning our Scottish Stage, which I hope will meet with your attention. I think, Sir, I may presume to fay, that I am not an unqualified correfpondent on that fubject, having paffed most of my life behind the Scenes, in different parts of the kingdom, and have reafon to flatter myself with having been of confiderable ufe to the Stage, though my labours have not proved fo advantageous to myself as I had - reafon to look for. I was the first who brought

any thing like difcipline among Bayes's Light Horfe; I had a very principal hand in the Sea in Harlequin's Invafion; and gave the Plan for the conftruction of the famous Cloud which took up the deities in Midas. These, and many other fervices of equal importance, have been long forgotten. I will make no perfonal reflections, Sir; but Managers are well known not to be always fo attentive to merit as they ought

M 2

ought to be. I know it has been faid, that I was dismissed from the London Theatre, on account of an unfortunate accident, to wit, the falling of a flying dragon, which I had invented for a new Pantomime; by which the Devil and Dr. Fauftus were both killed on the fpot. But, in the first place, the ftory is falfe in itself, the Doctor having only broke his nofe, and the Devil his tail, by the accident; and at any rate, the dragon was not of my conftruction, but one borrowed from the Opera-houfe, which had been foundered by hard riding in the ballet of Jafon and Medea.

I understand, Sir, that it is intended this winter to make a very material improvement on the Theatre at Edinburgh, by bringing down the Sadler's Wells Company, to perform here during a confiderable part of the season. I will not have the vanity to fay, that this was entirely owing to a suggestion of mine; yet it is certain that I hinted at fuch an improvement feveral months ago, at the house of a gentleman, an old acquaintance, with whom I fometimes take a Sunday's dinner, who is on very intimate terms with the Gentleman who dreffes the Manager. But whoever may claim the honour of the invention, Sir, I cannot help congratulating this country on the event, which I look on as proceeding from the fame liberal and enlarged