for it breeds peevisliness and pufillanimity. Thus health both of mind and body is best preserved by moderate exercife. And hence a general propofition, That every indulgence in corporeal pleafure, which favours either too violent or too languid exercife, whether of mind or body, is hurtful, and confequently is luxury in its proper fenfe. It is fcarce neceffary to be added, that every fuch indulgence is condemned by the moral fenfe; for every man can bear teftimony of this from what he himself feels.

Too great indulgence in corporeal pleafure feldom prompts violent exercife; but inftances are without number of its relaxing even that moderate degree of exercise which is healthful both to mind and body. This in particular is the cafe of too great indulgence in eating or drinking: fuch indulgence creates an habitual appetite, which demanding more than nature requires, loads the ftomach, depreffes the fpirits, and brings on a habit of littleffnefs and inactivity, which renders men cowardly and effeminate *. And what does the epicure gain by fuch excefs? In the grandeft palace the mafter occupies not a greater space than his meaneft domeftic; and brings to his moft fumptuous feaft perhaps lefs appetite than any of his guests. Satiety withal makes him lofe the relifh even of rarities, which afford to others a poignant pleasure. What enjoyment then have the opulent aboveothers? Let them beftow their riches in making others happy: fuch benevolence will double their own happiness, first, in the direct act of doing good; and next, in reflecting upon the good they have done, the most delicate of all feafts..

Had the English continued Pagans, they would have invented a new deity to prefide over cookery. I fay it with regret, but must fay it, that a luxurious table, covered with every dainty, feems to be their favourite idol.

Luxury and felfishness render men cowards. People who are attached to riches, and fenfual picafore, cannot think of abandoning them without horror A virtuous man confiders himself as placed here in order to obey the will of his Maker: he performs his duty,, and is ready to quit his poft upon the first summons.

113 A minifter of flate never withstands a feast: and the link that unites thofe in oppofition is, the cramming one another. I shall not be surprised to hear, that the cramming a mistress has become the most fashionable mode of courtship. That fort of luxury is not unknown in their universities; and it is perhaps the only branch of education that feldom proves abortive. It has not efcaped obfervation, that between the years 1740 and 1770 no fewer than fix mayors of London died in office, a greater number than in the preceding 500 years: fuch havock doth luxury in eating make among the fons of Albion. How different the manners of their forefathers! Bonduca their Queen, ready to engage the Romans in a pitched battle, encouraged her army with a pathetic fpeech, urging in particular the following confideration: The "great advantage we have over them is, that they can"not, like us, bear hunger, thirst, heat, nor cold. They "muft have fine bread, wine, and warm houses: every "herb and root fatisfies our hunger; water fupplies the "want of wine; and every tree is to us a warm " house (b)*."

The indulging in down beds, foft pillows, and eafy feats, is a fpecies of luxury, because it tends to enervate the body, and to render it unfit for fatigue. Some London ladies employ an operator for pairing their nails. Two young women of high quality, who were fisters, employed a fervant with foft hands to raife them gently out of bed in a morning. Nothing less than all-powerful vanity can make fuch perfons fubmit to the fatigues of a toilet: how can they ever think of fubmitting to the horrid pangs of child bearing? In the hot climates of Afia, people of rank are rubbed and chaffed twice a-day; which, befide being pleasant, is necessary for health, by

* Providence has provided the gout as a beacon on the rock of luxury to warn against it. But in vain: during diftrefs, vows of temperance are made: during the intervals, thefe vows are forgot. Luxury has gained too much ground in this island to be restrained

moving the blood, in a hot country, where sloth and indolence prevail. The Greeks and Romans were curried, bathed, and oiled, daily; though they had not the fame excufe for that practice: it was luxury in them, though not in the Afiatics.

With respect to exercife, the various machines that have been invented for executing every fort of work, render bodily ftrength of lefs importance than formerly. This change is favourable to mental operations, without hurting bodily health. The travelling on horfeback, tho' a lefs vigorous exertion of ftrength than walking, is not luxury, because it is a healthful exercife. I dare not fay fo much for wheel carriages: a spring coach, rolling along a smooth road, gives no exercife; or fo little, as to be preventive of no disease: it tends to enervate the body, and in fome measure also the mind. The increase of wheel carriages within a century is a pregnant proof of the growth of luxurious indolence. During the reign of James I. the English judges rode to Westminster on horfeback and probably did fo for many years after his death. Charles I. iffued a proclamation, prohibiting hackney coaches to be used in London, except by thofe who travel at leaft three miles out of town. At the reftoration, Charles II. made his public entry into London on horfeback, between his two brothers, Dukes of York and Gloucester. We have Rushworth for our voucher, that in London, not above a hundred years ago, there were but twenty hackney coaches; which at the fame time did not ply on the ftreets, but were kept at home till called for. He adds, that the King and Council published a proclamation againft them, because they raifed the price of provender upon the King, nobility, and gentry. At prefent, one thousand hackney-coaches ply on the streets of London befide a great number of stagecoaches for travelling from London to all parts of the kingdom. The firft coach with glaffes in France was brought from Bruffels to Paris, anno 1650, by the Prince of Conde. Sedan-chairs were not known in England before the year 1634. Cookery and coaches have reduced the military fpirit of the English nobility and gentry to a

Janguid ftate: the former, by overloading the body, has infected them with difpiriting ailments, the latter, by foftering ease and indolence, have banished labour, the only antidote to fuch ailments. Too great indulgence in the fine arts confumes part of that time which ought to be employed on the important duties of life: but the fine arts, even when too much indulged, produce one good effect, which is, to foften and humanize our manners: nor do they harm the body, if they relax not that degree of exercise which is neceffary for supporting it in health and vigour.

The enervating effects of luxury upon rhe body are, above all, remarkable in war. The officer's of Alexander's army were foon tainted with Afiatic manners. Moft of them, after bathing, had fervants for rubbing them, and, instead of plain oil, used precious ointments. Leonatus, in particular, commiffioned from Egypt the powder he used when he wrestled, which loaded feveral camels. Alexander reproved them mildly: "I wonder that men "who have undergone fuch fatigues in war, are not "taught by experience, that labour produces fweeter and "founder fleep than indolence. To be voluptuous, is

an abject and flavish state. How can a man take care "of his horse, or keep his armour bright, who difdains "to employ his own hands upon what is deareft to him, "his own body (i)?"

When we attend to the mind fingly, manifold are the pernicious effects of luxury. Corporeal pleasures, being all of them selfish, tend, when much indulged, to make felfishness the leading principle. Voluptuoufnefs, accordingly, relaxing every fympathetic affection brings on a beaftly felfishnefs, which leaves nothing of man but the external figure. Luxury, befide, renders the mind fo effeminate, as to be fubdued by every distress: the flightelt pain, whether of mind or body, is a real evil: and any higher degree becomes a fevere torture. The French are far gone in that difeafe. Pictures of deep diftrefs, which attract English fpectators, are, to the French, in

fupportable their averfion to pain overcomes the attractive power of fympathy, and debars from the stage every diftrefs that makes a deep impreffion on the heart. The British are gradually finking into the fame weakness of mind: Venice Preferved collects not fuch numbers as it did originally; and would fcarce be endured at prefent, were not our fympathy blunted by familiarity: a new play upon a fimilar plan would not take. The gradual decay of manhood in Britain appears from their funeral rites. Formerly the deceafed were attended to the grave by relations and friends of both fexes, and the day of their death was preferved in remembrance with folemn lamentations, as the day of their birth was, with exhilarating cups. In England a man was firit relieved from attending his deceased wife to the grave, and afterward from attending his deceased children; and now fuch effeminacy of mind prevails there, that inftantly upon the leaft groan, the deceased, abandoned by every relation, is delivered to an undertaker by profeffion, who is left at leifure to mimick the funeral rites. In Scotland, such refinement has not yet taken place: a man is indeed excufed from attending his wife to the grave; but he performs that duty in perfon, to every other relation, his children not excepted. I am told, that people of high fashion in England begin to leave the care of their fick relations to hired nurses, and think they do their duty in making fhort vifits from time to time..

Hitherto I have confidered Luxury. with refpect to thofe only who are infected with it; and did its poisonous effects spread no wider, the cafe perhaps would be the lefs deplorable. But unhappily, where luxury prevails, the innocent suffer with the guilty. A man of economy, whether a merchant or manufacturer, lays up a ftock for his children, and adds ufeful members to the ftate. A man on the contrary, who lives above his for tune, or his profits, accuftoms his children to luxury, and abandons them to poverty when he dies. Luxury, at the fame time is a great enemy to population: it enhances the expence of living, and confines many to the batchelor-ftate. Luxnry of the table, in particular, is