ebfervation, and fometimes enlivening it with anecdotes and remarks, either whimsical or judicious. His only want of refpect here was his being fubject to nod a little after dinner, which fometimes proceeded to a found nap, and was often the caufe of fome ridiculous embarralment, of which the following is an inftance:

Previous to the exhibition of the comedy of 'Tis Well Its no Worfe" (fince cut down to the farce of "The Pannel") Bickerftale invited a few friends, of whom Hiffernan was one, to dine with him, and hear him read his play. After dinner the glafs went cheartilly round for about half an hour, when the author began, and read to the end of the firft act, the company making fuch obfervations on it as it fuggefted to their judgements. Hiffernan's only remark all this while was, "Very well, by G-d! very well," till about the middle of the fecond act, when he began to nod, and in a little time afterwards, to fnore fo loud, that the author could fcarcely be heard. Bickerftaffe fe't a little embarraffed, but, railing his voice, went on. Hiffernan's tones, however, increased, til at laft at laft Goldsmith could hold no longer, but cried out, "Never mind the brute, Bick; go on-fo he would have ferved Homer if he was here, and reading his own works."

Hiffernan, however, made his beft excufe the next day, and which Goldfmith was ready enough to admit as fuch; for when the latter afked him how he could behave in that manner, the other coolly replied, "It's my ufual way-I never can refift fleeping at a pantomime."

Thus ends the little hiftory of a

man who had learning fufficient to fill many fituations in life, and talents and obfervation, if joined but to a common fhare of prudence and indufiry, to make himfelf refpectable and indépendent. All his bad qualities feemed to grow out of his indolence, and he adds another name to the long lift of martyrs who have facrificed to this deftructive and degrading vice. Men of this ftamp act as if they confidered themfelves as a kind of rent-charge upon Providence," who is obliged to invert the order of nature in their favour, and provide for them at the public expence. Repeated difappointments, or the fevere bites of poverty, will not fet them right; and as life must be fupported (and fometimes according to their extravagant ideas of fupport), the means, of courfe, must be unjustifiable.

The following, as far as we have been able to collect, is a chronological lift of Dr. Hifferman's works:

The Ticklers; a fet of periodical papers, published in Dublin about 1750.-The Tuner; a fet of periodical papers, published in 1753.Mifcellanies in Profe and Verie; Lond. 1754.-The Ladies Choice; a dramatic petit piece, 1759.-The Withes of a Free People; dramatic poem, 1761.-The New Hypocrates; a farce, n. p. 1761.-The Earl of Warwick; a tragedy, 1764. -Dramatic Genius; in five books, 1770.-Philofophic Whim, 1774. -Heroine of the Cave; taken from Jones's "Cave of Idra;" a trage dy, 1775.

Account of the town of Zurich, and of the drefs and manners of the inha

bitants;

bitants; from Gray's Tour through Germany.

URICH is charmingly fituated on the river Limmat, where it runs from the lake. The town has no ftreets that are regular or well built the fuburbs, towards the lake, are improved by fome modern buildings; the environs are very beautiful, and the banks of the lake and the Limmat are covered with houfes, many of which are the country feats of the gentlemen of Zurich: thefe derive their chief beauty from their fituation; having nothing that correfponds with our pleafure-garden; the Swifs, who, on every fide, behold the bold and magnificent features of nature, feem to defpife the minute and artificial ornaments by which we mimic her works.

Though the town has no build ings diftinguished for their beauty of architecture, it has every edifice of importance to the welfare of the people. The town houfe is large and commodious; the granary is well conducted, and, in times of fcarcity, alleviates the public distress: the arfenal, where, among the ancient armour, is preserved, as a valuable monument of liberty, William Tell's cross-bow, feems to be well provided with arms: Les Orphelines, a charitable inftitution for the children of the citizens, and which contains from eighty to one hundred, who are inftructed, and, at fifteen, are apprenticed to different trades, is well fupported. The Swifs have neither the inclination or the power to fpend money in fuperfluous edifices. Their private houses are furnished with fimplicity, and very little ornament:

their carriages are for convenience, and chiefly open; their pofeito. are not permitted to use them in town; their fervants feldom wear liveries; and there is but little appearance of those refinements which are too often the indication of corruption of manners. The drefs of the higher ranks is extremely plain: black is the full drefs; and the men, who are in any department of government, wear fwords. The drefs of the women is unbecoming; on Sundays they wear black in the morning, and colours in the evening: the hair is dreffed in the French and English fashion, but with a loofe and ill-fhaped negligence, appearing what is vulgarly called blowzy; their fhapes are not advantageously difplayed, nor do they exhibit any of that flowing and graceful drapery which gives to the lengthened and picturefque forms of Reynolds and Bunbury, the elegance of the Grecian figure: their fquat and unfeminine mon fters of thoes feem manufactured for downright walking, not to bend with fupple pliancy in the dance, or to draw attention in the fucceffion of the well-directed fieps. The ftrangers who refort here begin to fap a little the fimplicity of manners which prevails, by the introduction of foreign luxuries; they intermix indeed, but feldom, with the natives in convivial intercourfe; but the fight of luxury is infectious, and the genius of the people of Zurich yields to the contagion. Heidegger, the famous arbiter elegantiarum, for many years, in England, was the fon of a clergyman at Zurich; and no man ever prefided with greater fpirit in the cir cles of diffipation, or puthed the

revels of voluptuoufnefs to a greater extent. The native of a fevere and fimple town in Switzerland, directed the luxurious pleafures of one of the moft refined courts in Europe. "I was born a Swifs," faid he in a public company," and came to England without a farthing, where I have found means to gain 5000l. a year, and to fpend it. Now I defy the most able Englishman to go to Switzerland, and either to gain that income or fpend it there."

We have no particular introduction to the inhabitants of this town, and affociate chiefly with the Englifh and other firangers, with whom chance or our public table brings us acquainted. I have been introduced, however, to Mr. Lavater, whofe mild and expreflive countenance, rendered more interefting by a fhade of dejection, will recommend him to all who adopt his principles of phyfiognomy. I ob ferved to him, that it required fome courage to prefent ourselves before a man poflefling the powers of penetration, which he profeffed: he replied, that no mortal need fear the prefence of another, fince all muit be conicious of defect. He lives in a very fmall houfe; we found him inftructive and unassuming in converfation. He fpeaks French with hesitation and difficulty, bat his expretiions are forcible. On a fecond vifit he fhewed us his collection of pictures, which contains three or four pieces by Holbein, in high prefervation: among thefe is an angel with the inftruments of Chrift's crucifixion, that has great merit. There are fome other valuable pictures; one by Weft, and two or three admirably done by a Swifs pealant; a variety of beauti

ful drawings, and other things well worthy attention. Mr. Lavater's character, as a minifter, is very high. He is now projecting two or three charitable inftitutions, one of which is defigned as a retreat for women after the age of fifty. He is engaged in a pleafant periodical publication of Mifcellanies, of which fix volumes have appeared for the first year, and one for the fecond. He complains that our tranflations of his writings (efpecially of his great work) are extremely defective. I have fince heard him preach with great apparent energy; but he preached in an unknown tongue to me. The Vandyke frill, which the minifters wear, gives them a very antique appearance; and the mourning drefies of the congregation produce a very grave effect in the churches. I was not much difpofed to approve an hour glafs, which was placed by the preacher, to direct him in the length of his difcourfe. Auer the finging, in which all the congregation join, there is a great noife of letting down the feats; ard the people all put on their hats and fit down, to hear the minifter pray or preach. Devotion here appears to correfpond with Parnel's defcription of it at Geneva. "A fullen thing, whofe coarsenefs fuits the croud." I reflected, with fatisfaction, on the rational and decent fervice established in our church: on premcdiated pravers, formed upon fublime principles of piety and benevolence; and exterior forms, defigned only to be expreffive of reverence for God, and fubfervient to the becoming folemnity of public worship.

The miniftry is fupported with fuitable maintenance at Zurich, and the people feem to profit at leaft by

its moral inftructions, being celebrated for their integrity and worth.

Account of the refignation of Philip V. king of Spain; from the Hipory of Spain, by the author of the Higory of France, in 3 vols. 8vo.

fect tranquillity, yet the internal regulation of it required the moft ftrenuous exertions and unwearied application: the public debt had rapidly grown beneath the profufe adminiftration of Alberoni; while that ftatefman pursued his vaft and vifionary plans of dominion, he had totally neglected, and not unfrequently left unfilled, the fubordinate departments of the flate; the diforders in the revenue had multiplied beyond the example of former times; and it demanded the clearest judgement and the pureft integrity to explore the crooked labyrinth of finance, to reform abufes which had been fanctioned by cuftom, and to redrefs grievances which originated in the corruption of a court. Such qualities were not the growth of the reign of Philip the Fifth. The death of the marquis of Bedmar, who had filled with ability the important truft of prefident of the Council of the Indies, was an irreparable lofs; the marquis del Campo. to whom was principally confided the fuperintendence of the revenue, was of a delicate conftitution, and was rather occupied in adminiftering to his own infirmities than to thofe of the ftate: the marquis of Grimaldi alone relieved the king from part of the public burden; but

tious fchool of Lewis the Fourteenth, he had been early inftructed to prefer grandeur to eale; but in polfeffion of a crown he had experienced the fallacy of his choice. Of twenty-three years that he had reigned, eighteen had been confumed in foreign war or domestic commotion; and the love of arms and martial glory, which to noble minds reconciles every toil and danger, was only faintly or never felt by the feeble fpirit of Philip. Fanaticifm mingled with indolence to embitter the cup of royalty; in the bloody and tumultuous ftruggle with his rival, inceffant action had allowed no leifure for reflection; and the fplendid hopes which the chimerical projects of Alberoni infpired, had for a moment triumphed over religious terrors.

But no fooner had Philip fecured the peace of his kingdom, than he trembled for the falvation of his foul. From the relief of Ceuta, two auto-da-fès, in two fucceffive years, admonished his fubjects that under the reign of a bigot it was lefs dangerous to revolt from their civil than fpiritual allegiance; but their murmurs probably never reached the ears of their fovereign, who in the fequeftered fhades of St. Ildefonto, prayed and fafled with alternate fervour.

The various climate which prevails between the Efcurial and St. Tidefonfo, though at the distance of only eight leagues from each other, probably first preferred the latter to the notice of Philip. A range of lofty mountains divides it from the fultry plains of the fouth; in a deep recels, and acceffible only to the north wind, it enjoys the frethnefs, and throws forth the flowers of fpring, while the inhabitants of the fouthern regions are expofed to the heats, and engaged in collecting the produce of autumn. It was to this cool and quiet fpot that the king retired from the complaints of his fubjects, and the importunities of his minifters; beneath his care the farm of Baljain arofe into a palace; a chapel dedicated to St. Ildefonfo changed even the ancient name of the hamlet; about fix millions fterling were expended in fertilizing a barren rock; and though the palace of Ildefonfo cannot vie with the proud pile of the Efcurial, yet its gardens, traverfed by clofe and gloomy walks, and refreshed by frequent fountains, prefent a defirable retreat from the burning rays of a fummer's fun.

Here Philip fixed his refidence; and here, in the vigour of his age, he determined to deliver himlelf from the cares of royalty, and to relinquith his crown to his fon. Yet fome delay was interpofed by the remonstrances of the queen, and of the father d'Aubenton, the king's confeffor the latter had cherished, from the different conduct of the duke of Orleans, an idea that he would ftrongly difapprove the abdication of the king of Spain. He had, therefore, laboured to infil into the mind of his royal penitent, that a defertion of his regal duty was

VOL. XXXVI.

a facred offence. In a letter to the duke of Orleans, he explained the motive of his counfels." But the regent was only anxious to fee his daughter on the throne of Spain. He fent the letter of the father to Philip, and d'Aubenton was not able to furvive the detection of his treachery. The death of the Jefuit releafed the monarch from his feruples: the prince of Afturias had attained the age of eighteen; he had already been familiarized with the forms of government; and the gravity of his manners feemed to render him worthy the important truft. The queen no longer deemed it prudent to perfevere in a refifiance which might have expofed her to the refentment of her fon-in-law. The chief object of Elizabeth had been to fecure a royal inheritance for her fon Don Carlos; this had been ftipulated by the late peace; and the death of Colino of Medicis, with the fhattered conftitution of his impotent fucceffor, promifed foon to gratify her wifhes, in the poffeflion of the duchy of Tufcany. Thus circumftanced, the yielded to the inclinations of her confort, and confented to renounce the tumultuous grandeur of a crown, and to confine her future views to the aggrandizement of her fon.

It was in the twenty-fourth year of his reign, and in the fortieth of his age, that Philip formally announced his intentions to his people; the inftrument of his renunciation was intrufted to the marquis of Grimaldi, and was by that nobleman publicly read in the Efcurial. It fated that, defhous of reft alter a turbulent reign of twenty-three years, and anxious to employ the remainder of his life in preparing for a fpiritual crown, Philip religned T

his