mometer to fhew him the heat of the weather; and a barometer, to mark when it was likely to prove good or bad; but there being no inftrument invented to difcover, at first fight, this unpleafing difpofition in a perfon, he, for that purpofe, made ufe of his legs; one of which was remarkably handfome, the other, by fome accident, crooked and deformed. If a stranger, at the first interview, regarded his ugly leg more than his handfome one, he doubted him. If he spoke of it, and took no notice of the handsome leg, that was fufficient to determine my philofopher to have no further acquaintance with him. Every body has not this two-legged inftrument; but every one, with a little attention, may observe signs of that carping, fault-finding difpofition, and take the fame refolution of avoiding the acquaintance of thofe infected with it. I therefore advife thofe critical, que

rulous,

rulous, difcontented, unhappy people, that if they wish to be refpected and beloved by others, and happy in themfelves, they fhould leave off looking at the ugly leg.

CON

CONVERSATION

OF A

COMPANY OF EPHEMERE;

WITH THE SOLILOQUY OF ONE ADVANCED IN

AGE.

TO MADAME BRILLIANT.

You may remember, my dear friend, that when we lately spent that happy day, in the delightful garden and sweet society of the Moulin Joly, I ftopt a little in one of our walks, and staid fome time behind the company. We had been shewn numberlefs skeletons of a kind of little -fly, called an Ephemera, whofe fucceffive generations, we were told, were bred

and

and expired within the day. I happened to fee a living company of them on a leaf, who appeared to be engaged in converfation. You know I understand all the inferior animal tongues: my too great application to the ftudy of them, is the beft excufe I can give for the little progress I have made in your charming language. I liftened through curiofity to the difcourfe of thefe little creatures; but as they, in their national vivacity, fpoke three or four together, I could make but little of their converfation. I found, however, by fome broken expreffions that I heard now and then, they were difputing warmly on the merit of two foreign musicians, one a cousin, the other a mufcheto; in which difpute they spent their time, feemingly as regardless of the fhortnefs of life as if they had been fure of living a month. Happy people! thought I, you live certainly under a wife, juft, and mild government,

8

fince

fince you have no public grievances to complain of, nor any fubject of contention, but the perfections or imperfections of foreign mufic. I turned my head from them to an old grey-headed one, who was fingle on another leaf, and talking to himself. Being amufed with his foliloquy, I put it down in writing, in hopes it will likewife amuse her to whom I am so much indebted for the moft pleafing of all amufements, her delicious company, and heavenly har

mony.

"It was," fays he, "the opinion of "learned philofophers of our race, who "lived and flourished long before my "time, that this vaft world the Moulin

Joly could not itself fubfift more than "eighteen hours and I think there "was fome foundation for that opinion; "fince, by the apparent motion of the great luminary, that gives life to all (6 nature, and which in my time has evi

"dently