citizen ought to poffefs; fuch are the principals of morality, and the laws of his country. Nothing more is required, than the memory of a young man be principally filled with ideas and objects relative to the employment he will probably embrace. Can any thing be more abfurd, than to give exactly the fame education to three different men, one of whom is to enjoy a fmall place in the revenue, and the two others the first places in the army, the magiftracy or the administration? Can we, without astonishment, see them employed in the fame ftudies, till they are of age to enter into the world, and apply themselves to their refpective employments? Whoever examines the ideas imprinted in the minds of young men, and compares their education with the ftation in which they are to be placed, will find it as foolish as it would have been for the Greeks to have appointed only a mafter of the flute to teach thofe who were to be fent to the Olympic games, to difpute the prize of running or wreftling. But it may be asked, why we do not attempt to make a better use of the time spent in education, if a better ufe of it can be made? To what caufe can we attribute our indifference in this respect? why do we put the pencil in the hand of an infant defigned for a painter ? why do we place the fingers of youth, intended for a musician, on the keys of the harpficord? why do both receive an education fuitable to the arts they are to profefs, while we fo much neglect the education of princes, of great men, and in general all thofe who, by their birith, are entitled to important pofts? Great kingdoms are feldom ex- be propofed is to render fubjects more enlightened, more virtuous, and, in short, more capable of contributing to the happiness of that: fociety in which they live. Now, in arbitrary governments, the oppofition defpotic princes think they perceive between their intereft and the general intereft, does not permit them to adopt a system so conformable to the public utility. In thefe countries there is no object; confequently no education. It would be in vain to confider the fole means, of pleafing the fovereign, as the ob-ject of education; for what fpecies of education would that be, where the plan is to be formed by the ever imperfect knowledge of the manners of a prince, who may either die, or change his difpofition, before the education is compleated. In thefe countries it would be in vain to labour for the reformation of public education, till that of the fovereign's was compleated. many obftacles oppofe the production of men of genius in great kingdoms? Yet men might even there become well inftructed; for nothing prevents our taking advantage of early youth, to plant in the memory fuch ideas as relate to the posts they may happen to poffefs; but they will never form men of genius, because these ideas are barren, if not fertilized by the love of glory. In prder to kindle this flame in our minds, it is neceffary that glory, like money, fhould procure an in-: finite number of pleasures, and that honours fhould be the reward of merit. Now the intereft of the powerful does not permit them to make fo juft a diftribution; they will not accuftom the citizens to confider favours as a debt due to abilities, and therefore feldom beftow them on merit; they perceive they fhall obtain the more gratitude from those they oblige, in proportion as they are lefs worthy of their favours. Injuftice then must often refide in the diftribution of favours, and the love of glory be extinguished in all hearts.. Such are, in great empires, the caufe of the scarcity of great men ; of the indifference with which they are confidered, and of the little care taken of the public education. But however great these obftacles may be, which, in these countries, oppose the public education; yet, in monarchies, such as most of these in Europe, they are not unfurmountable. They, indeed, become really fo, and abfolutely defpotic, fuch as thofe of the eaft; becaufe there are no means, in thofe couptries, of improving education. Without an Without an object in view, there can be no cduEation; and the only object that can The vizirs, too jealous of reigning under the name of their mafters,` always kept the fultans in a fhame ful, and almost invincible ignorance; and take care that no perfon capable of inftructing them fhall approach the throne. But where the education of princes is thus abandoned to chance, what care can be taken of that of private perfons? A father defires to raise his fons ta pofts of honour: he knows that neither knowledge, abilities, nor virtues, will ever open them a way to fortune; and that princes never believe they have occafion for men of genius and learning; he will therefore neither defire knowledge: or abilities for his fons: he will even have a confufed idea, that in fuch governments a perfon cannot be be virtuous with impunity. All the precepts will be then reduced to fome vague maxims, which, having but little connexion with each other, cannot give his children clear ideas of virtue; for he will be afraid of giving them precepts too fevere, and too determinate. He would have a glimpfe, that a rigid virtue would be injurious to their fortunes, and therefore endeavours to fupprefs inftead of encouraging it. Let us illuftrate this truth by an example; let us fuppofe, that a father defigns his fon for a bafhaw, er governor of a province, and that, ready to take poffeffion of that pcft, the fon fays to him, "O my father! the principles of virtue I have ac quired in my infancy have budded in my foul. I depart to govern men; their happiness fhall be my only care. I fhall not lend a more favourable ear to the rich than to the poor. Deaf to the menaces of the powerful oppreffor, I fhall always hear the complaints of the weak under oppreffion, and impartial juftice fhall always prefide at my tribunal.":" We "O my fon, how amiable does the enthofiafin of virtue tender youth! but age and prudence will teach thee to moderate it. ought doubtless to be just yet to what requests art thou going to be expofed! to how many little as of injuftice must thou be blind! If thou art forced to refufe the great, what graces, my fon, ought to accompany thy refufal! elevated as thou art, a word from the fultan can reduce thee to nothing, and confound thee in the throng of the vileft flaves. The frown of an Iman may shake thy throne, and the hatred of an eunuch may de T ftroy thee: think therefore of treat ing them with respect.-" Shall I refpe&t injuftice! No, my father. The fublime porte frequently requires a too burthenfome tribute from the people: 1 fhall not liften to fuch commands. · I know a man is under obligations to the ftate, only in proportion to the intereft it takes in his prefervation; that the unfortunate owe it nothing; and the affluence itfelf, which fupports the taxes, requires a wife acconomy, and not prodigality.—————It will therefore be my duty to enlighten the divan." 66 Abandon this project my fon, thy reprefentation would be in vain, its commands must be always obeyed." σε Obeyed! No rather let me refign to the Sultan the place with' which he honours me." Thou "O, my fon, a foolish enthufiam for virtue leads thee aftray. wilt ruin thyself, and the miferies of thy people will not be removed: the divan will nominate in thy place a perfon of lefs humanity, who will difcharge thine office in a more fevere manner." "Yes, injuftice will doubtlefs be committed; but I fhall not be the inftrument. The virtuous man, entrufted with the adminiftration, either does well, or retires: the man more virtuous fill, and more fenfible of the mileries of his fellow fubjects, fnatches himfelf from the converfe of cities, into deferts, foretts, and even among the favages; flies from the cdious afpect of tyranny, and the too afflicting fight of the misfortunes of his equals, Such is the conduct of virtue. fhould, thou fayeft, have no imitators: I hope the contrary. Thy fecret fecret ambition makes thee think fo, and my virtue makes me doubt it. But fuffer me to examine thee in my turn: if I affociate myself with the Arabs, who plunder our caravans, may I not fay to myself, whether I live with these robbers, or feparate myself from their company, the caravans will be ftill at tacked by living with the Arab I fhall foften his manners; I fhall oppofe at least the useless cruelties he commits on travellers: I fhall do my duty without adding to the pub. lic mifery. This reafoning is thine, and if neither thy nature nor thyfelf can approve it, why then houldeft thou permit, under the name of bashaw, what thou forbiddeft under that of Arab? O, my father! mine eyes are at length opened, I fee that virtue does not inhabit defpotic ftates, and that in thy breaft ambition ftifles the cry of equity cannot proceed to grandeur by trampling juftice under my feet, my virtue defeats thy hopes: my virtue becomes odious to thee, and thy hopes being deceived, thou giveft it the name of folly. It is till to thee that I muft refer it; fathom the abyss of my foul, and anfwer me. If I facrifice juftice to pleasure and wanton caprice, by what power wilt thou recal to my mind thofe auftere maxims of virtue I learned in my youth? Why is thine ardent zeal grown cool, when I am required to facrifice this virtue to the orders of a fultan, or a vizir? I dare to answer this queftion: it is because the luftre of my grandeur, the unworthy price of a base obedience, would be reflected on thyfelf: thou wouldst then overlook the crime; but if thou didst discover it, thou wouldst change its name, and call it duty." Thus we fee it would be the highest abfurdity to fill the mind with magnanimons ideas, in countries where vice is rewarded and virtue punished. But this is not the cafe in monarchies; reformation there, though difficult, is not impoffible. But I am wandering from my fubject; difcuffions of this kind require a volume: and fhall therefore conclude with obferving, that the whole plan of an excellent education is reduced to this, first to fix in the minds of young men fuch ideas, as have a relation to their ftate and fortune; and, fecondly, to use the most certain means of inflaming them with the love of glory, and the public efteem. Tranflation of a Letter wrote by Prince Ferdinand to General Sporcken, on re. figning to him the Command of the Allied Army in Germany. " SIR, HAVING had the honour, on my arrival at Neuhaus, to write to the King to congratulate him on the Peace he had made with France and Spain, and at the fame time to afk his permiffion to quit his army, where my prefence is no longer neceffary; his Majefty was gracioufly pleased to give me a very favourable anfwer, in the following letter; which I fend you, General, to be communicated to the army. "COUSIN, "I thank you for the obliging congratulations in your letter of the 23d paft, on the happy conclufion of the peace, to which your good conduct at the head of my army hath fo greatly contributed. I readily confent to your demand, and am very glad that, after fo much fatigue, you will enjoy, in the bofom of peace, that glory which you have fo juftly acquired. Being, moreover, convinced how much I owe to your great merit, you may be affured of my perfevering in these fentiments, being, with much efteem and devotion, coufin, your devoted coufin, St. James's, Dec. 3, 1762. GEORGE R." "In confequence of this permiffion, which his majesty has gracioufly given me, I refign to general Sporcken the command of the army, which I fhall leave to-morrow the 24th of Dec. I am the better fatisfied, as his majefty has condefcended to repeat to me his approbation of my conduct and I have the most grateful fenfe of the favours with which you honoured me during the time that I commanded the army. Ifhall never forget with how great and happy fuccefs I fought at the head of the brave troops that compofed the army, for liberty, and for their country and mine. This I fhall always remember, and it will make me think continually on the obligations I owe to the generals, and officers in particular, who, by affifting me with their experience and good advice, enabled me to ferve my country, and to difcharge, at the fame time, the truft with which I was honoured by the king. I therefore defire, general, that you will return them my fincere thanks, and that you will also thank, in my name, the whole army, for the obedience, they paid to me whilft I had. the honour to command them. Neuhaus, Dec. 23, 1762. FERDINAND. Duke of Brunfwic." The Hiftory of Quacks, or ftroling Vagrants, called Mountebanks, Water Cafiers, IN Edward the Sixth's reign, one Grig, a poulterer in Surry, was fet in the pillory at Croydon, and again in the Borough, Southwark, during the time of the fair, for cheating people out of their money, by pretending to cure them by charms, by only looking at the patient, or by cafting his water. In the reign of king James the First, the council difpatched a warrant to the magiftrates of the city of London, to take up all reputed empiricks, and bring them before the cenfors of the college, to examine how properly qualified they were to be trufted either with the limbs or lives of his majesty's fubjects. Dr. Lamb, a moft noted quack, and one who had acquired a large fortune by his pretended medicines, was at laft obliged to confefs he knew nothing of phyfic. Read and Woodhoufe, two other cotemporary quacks, were likewise brought to juftice, and acknowledg ed the fame. In Stowe's Chroncile we meet with a relation of a Water-Cafter being fet on horfeback, his face to the horfe's tail, which he held in his hand, |