pfhaw, damme, do you imagine that I would not have been Yard-arm and Yard-arm before now with her? What a damned Scrape the brave Colonel Wafb-ton, the Attorney formerly at Whitehaven, who was fo delighted with the whistling of Bullets, has brought upon the Mhe has figned a Paper, in which, I am told, it is faid, that he has been guilty of an Affaffination of the French in Virginia; and fhould we kill any of them, we fhall be confidered in the fame Light: Do you imagine the My would say that we are the Aggreffors, if they did not intend to yield to the French, or that we were in a Condition to go to War.'

THAT may be,' fays Mac Valor, but by Jefus I will have my Reputation to keep, and will fink this Ship, and go after her myshelf, but I will be after having that white Flag down.' However, Night coming on, and the Captain diffuading Mac Valor from irritating the My, (who certainly knew their Reafons for giving fuch Orders, he faid) by his mad Behaviour: The Ships loft Sight of each other during the Night.

THIS was a devilish Difappointment to Macpherfon, who had been in high Spirits about beginning his Treatife on the Nature of Gun-fhot Wounds, from the Hopes of an Engagement.

HOWEVER, during this Preparation for a Battle, a Sailor had fallen from the Mafthead and broke his Thigh, which the Surgeon's Mate (a Perfon we have not yet spoken of, bred in the Country, and had finished his Studies by a Year's Attendance at one of the Hofpitals in London) had declared must be amputated. This being the Cafe, the Doctor whofe great Skill lay all in his two Years pounding at Edinburgh, said he was of the fame Opinion; but here, alas, for the firft Time, it came into his Head, that he did not well understand what was to be done in this Cafe; he therefore faid, Mate, prepare the Dreffings, and as I love to encourage young Men under my Diraction, and there's na mare Operations to be done, I'll e'en let you amputate this Limb your fel, and tell you ' when you're reight; I can but tak the Knife out

• of

of your Haund, Sir, if I fee you do na perform as you ought: The Mate knew the Bottom of all this Kindness perfectly well; but as Surgery and Phyfic are only understood by Phyficians and Surgeons, it is not the true Merit of any one, but that which the World entertains of him, that gives a Man Business and Reputation; and as Nonfenfe and medicinal Knowledge are equally intelligible to moft People, he of these Profeflions who talks the firft fluently, is as much careffed, as he who knows the fecond, and talks with lefs Ease; for this Reason it was that the Surgeon was fuppofed a more expert Man than his Mate.

SURGEON Macpherson being well learnt in Northern Knowledge, and having thus fpliced the Fox's Tail to the little Skill he had in Surgery, faw the Mate perform the Operation of amputating the Thigh extremely well, which was the firft Macpherson had ever feen, and which he protested he believed he would not have done better himself, and the De'el tak me,' quoth he, but Jammy Englifb is the prattieft Surgeon I have ever seen, that had not his Education at the • College of Edinburgh; and if my good Word can get him a Ship, he fha na want ane long.' This Operation fucceeding, the Surgeon got a great Character by the Good-nature of permitting his Mate to perform it, and the Mate in having finished it fo well. And here we finish this Chapter, which perhaps from being already too long, and one other Reafon, Surgeon Macpherfon would be glad to amputate without the Affiftance of his Mate.

CHA P. XX.

A Differtation upon the Honour of old England, to the Honour of Mifs Fanny M * *

IN

N all the Difficulties which attend an Hiftorian, there feems to be none, as it is agreed by all Authors, which is greater than that of fteering free from Offence; People in general are extremely apt to conceive

every

every thing to be Satire, which is only fimple Advice, and apply that Character which fits many Hundreds, to fome fingle Person whom they do not like: Hence Authors are condemned in a thousand Places, and for a thousand Things which never entered their Heads. In the fame manner, I doubt not but there would have been many Men who in the preceding Chapter, perceiving that I feemed to have painted the Idea of Old England, as a vifionary and vague Notion in the Head of the Honourable Captain Charles Bounce, that would imagine I included in it that Honour which Titles impart to Blood alfo, than which, nothing is farther from Intention.

my

INDEED we shall venture to affirm, that we ourselves have known many an Honourable Peer, descended from a long Train of equally Honourable Ancestors, who for fome Generations, as Hiftory delivers, have not entertained one Thought of the Honour of Old England in their Heads.

THIS, I hope, will fecure us from that Imputation, of having debafed the noble Blood of Britain, with Imaginations fo depreciating and vulgar, as that it muft always be united with the Honour of its Country.

WHEN We here speak of the Honour of England, we would be understood to mean that warm, enthufiaftic, and auguft Senfation, which every Man feels for the Welfare of that Country which gave him Breath, mixt with the Idea of Probity in its Proceeding, and Valour in its Inhabitants.

AND when we speak of Honour as relative to Nobility, we mean Titles, Ribbands, Pofts, and fuch Things which Kings can give; that the Honour of Old England is not neceffarily united with this Honour: How many Titles, Ribbands, Stars, Garters and Georges, in former Times, can be named, where it was never fufpected to refide; and tho' all that wear Titles and Strings at prefent, add Honour to, and not receive any from them; yet a fingle Reign is not to be quoted as an univerfal Proof.

THE Fountain of Honour, then, is twofold; one which Kings can give, and another which they cannot,

THAT

THAT which they can impart, is confined to Blood; and, if we fuppofe it bestowed in the Time of Edward the Confeffor, it can never be effaced in any fucceeding Generations, provided there be no Breach of the feventh Commandment which intervenes; and, as Chaftity is a Virtue that never was known to defert the Heart of a Lady of Great-Britain in one Inftance, this Objection may be looked upon as nothing.

LET us imagine that the Perfon who is created a Peer of this Kingdom, has one Drop of his Blood changed from Plebeian to Noble, by Virtue of that great Vicegerent of Heaven, a King, who generally refembles his Original in all his high Attributes too much, to admit any Doubt relating to the poffeffing fuch a Power.

THIS being granted, there remains to all Pofterity, a certain Quantity of noble Blood in every Defcendant of every noble Family; and thus we prove it: Matter is divisible in infinitum, and every Son is contained in the Loins of his Father; wherefore, notwithstanding the minute and difproportionate Size of the Animalcule to the Man, perhaps Ten Million to One, we do infift, that, from this infinite Divifibility which there exifts in Matter, this Son muft contain one ten millionth Part of that one Drop of noble Blood, which' was contained in his Sire, and so on for ever, the Son containing the ten millionth Part of the ten millionth Part of that Drop of original truly noble Blood; and thus, in Pursuit of this Argument in infinitum, every Lord muft contain a certain Portion of noble Blood which nothing can efface; or Matter is not endowed with infinite Divisibility: and upon this we reft our Argument.

THIS, however, is not that Kind of Honour, which is vifible in the Face, in a Character of fuperior Senfe, in the Heart, in noble and generous Actions, but sticks. in the Blood, and is ever rambling about the Body, fometimes in the Heels dancing a Minuet, or kicking a Race-horse at New-market, fometimes, in the Fingers laying Wagers, packing Cards, palming Dice, and other honourable Employments.

THIS then is not the Honour of Old England.

BESIDES

BESIDES this Source of Honour, there is yet another, which, as far as we have taken Notice, has never yet been confidered by any Antiquarian.

THIS is what is bestowed on Gentlemen by Chairmen, 'a Chair your Honour,' by Coachmen, a Coach your Honour,' by Black-fhoe-boys, black your

Honour,' by Beggars, God blefs your Honour,' by Duns foftly, damn your Honour,' and laftly, by Tavern-boys, Poft-boys, Coffee-boys, and many others, who have all the Power of communicating Honour, to Gentlemen, tho' not Nobility.

WHENCE this Power was derived we cannot well affert, unless that from the Times of the immortal King William, to the laft Day of the laft Reign, a few Years excepted, the Power of Administration and Government being bequeathed to the most corrupted Hearts and pernicious Heads of the Kingdom; the Potentates who then ruled, thought it would be right to give the Power of communicating Honours to the neaneft and baseft born of the Nation; that the Care of public Welfare and Difpofal of Honours, might be equally in the Hands of Men of the fame laudable Difpofitions.

THIS, however, at prefent, is not the Cafe, Honours and Administration being in equally honourable Hands, and equally well diftributed and conducted; notwithstanding this, we conceive that neither of thefe is truly the Honour of Old England; therefore, as every Thing is very difficult to explain by Definition, and, as without much Circumfpection, one or more Circumftances may be omitted, we chufe to fhew what it is, by an Exhibition of it, as it appeared in the Behaviour of a certain Lady, not a little renowned in the great City of London; and here we cannot help obferving, that, tho' Chaftity has been imagined the Characteristic Virtue of Women, and Honour of Men, in this Inftance that Remark is not verified.

IN the Year 17-, the Date is loft, Mifs Fanny having a great Defire to complete her Education by a Trip to France, did really vifit the City of

Paris.

BEAUTY