out, and to repeople the country with better men. Egypt has for many ages been in the fame languid and fervile state. An Arabian author, who wrote the hiftory of the great Saladin, obferves, that the Egyptians never thought of fupporting the monarch in poffeffion, but tamely fubmitted "It was," fays he, to every conqueror. "the custom in Egypt at that time to de"liver to the victor the enfigns of royal66 ty, without ever thinking of inquiring

"into his title." What better than a flock of sheep, obedient to the call of the present fhepherd!

I fly from a fcene so dismal to one that will give no pain. Light is intended by our Maker for action, and darkness for reft. In the fourteenth century, the shops in Paris were opened at four in the morning at prefent, a fhopkeeper is scarce awake at feven. The King of France dined at eight in the morning, and retired to his bed-chamber at the fame hour in the evening; an early hour at prefent for public amusements *. The Spaniards adhere

*Louis XII. of France after taking for his fecond wife Mary fifter to Henry VIII. of England, much

under

here to ancient cuftoms *. Their King to this day dines precifely at noon, and fups no lefs precifely at nine in the evening. During the reign of Henry VIII. fashionable people in England breakfasted at feven in the morning, and dined at ten in the forenoon. In Elizabeth's time, the nobility, gentry, and ftudents, dined at eleven forenoon, and fupped between five and fix afternoon. In the reign of Charles II. four in the afternoon was the appointed hour for acting plays. At present, even dinner is at a later hour. The King of Yeman, the greateft prince in Arabia Felix, dines at nine in the morning, fups at five afternoon, and goes to reft at eleven, From this short fpecimen it appears, that the occupations of day-light commence gradually later and later; as if there were a tendency in polite nations, of converting night into day, and day into night. No

under him in years, totally changed his manner of living. Instead of dining at eight in the morning, he now dined at mid-day: inftead of going to bed at fix in the evening, he now frequently fat up till midnight.

* Manners and fashions feldom change where women are locked up.

thing happens without a cause. Light difpofes to action, darkness to reft: the diverfions of day are tournaments, tennis, hunting, racing, and other active exercifes the diversions of night are fedentary; plays, cards, converfation. Balls are of a mixed nature, partly active in dancing, partly fedentary in converfing. Formerly, active exercises prevailed among a robuft and plain people people *: the milder pleasures of fociety prevail as manners refine. Hence it is, that candle-light amusements are now fashionable in France, and in other polished countries; and when such amusements are much relished, they banish the robust exercises of the field. Balls, I conjecture, were formerly more frequent in day-light at prefent, candle-light is their favourite time: the active part is at that time equally agreeable; and the fedentary part, more fo.

Gaming is the vice of idle people. Savages are addicted to gaming; and those of North America in particular are fond

The exercises that our forefathers delighted in were fo violent as that in the days of Henry II. of England cock-fighting and horfe-racing were despised as unmanly and childish amusements.

to

to distraction of a game termed the platter. A lofing gamester will strip himself to the fkin; and fome have been known to ftake their liberty, though by them valued above all other bleffings. Negroes in the flave-coast of Guinea, will stake their wives, their children, and even themselves. Tacitus (a), talking of gaming among the Germans, fays, "Extremo ac noviffimo "jactu, de libertate et de corpore conten"dant*." The Greeks were an active and sprightly people, conftantly engaged in war, or in cultivating the fine arts. They had no leifure for gaming, nor any knowledge of it. Happy for them was their ignorance; for no other vice tends more to render men felfish, dishonest, and, in the modish style, dishonourable. gamefter, a friend to no man, is a bitter enemy to himself. The luxurious of the prefent age, pafs every hour in gaming that can be fpared from fenfual pleasure. Idleness is their excufe, as it is among favages; and they would in fome degree

A

"For their last throw they ftake their liberty and " life."

(a) De moribus Germanorum, c. 24€

be

be excufable, were they never actuated by a more difgraceful motive.

Writers do not carefully distinguish particular cuftoms from general manners. Formerly, women were not admitted upon the ftage in France, Italy, or England: at that very time, none but women were admitted in Spain. From that fashion it would be rash to infer, that, women have more liberty in Spain than in the other countries mentioned; for the. for the contrary is true. In Hindoftan, established, custom prompts women to burn themselves alive with the bodies of their deceafed hufbands; but from that fingular cuftom, it would be a false inference, that the Hindow women are either more bold, or more affectionate to their husbands, than in other countries. The Polanders, even after they became Chriftians in the thirteenth century, adhered to the customs of their forefathers, the Sarmatians, in killing infants born deformed, and men debilitated by age; which would betoken horrid barbarity, if it were not a fingular cuftom. Roman Catholics imagine, that there is no religion in England nor in Holland; because, from a fpirit of civil liber

ty,