1776. Caufe and Remedy of the Dearness of Provifions. I cannot, with my utmost induftry, procure food to put into their mouths. When I first began the world, I found no difficulty in keeping houfe, but lived with a tolerable degree of comfort. I never wanted employment, and I then bought butcher's meat for two pence halfpenny a pound, for which I must now give fix pence. What, Sir, can have been the occafion of fo prodigious a rife? It is faid by thofe, who are beft likely to be informed about fuch matters, that there are not so many people in the kingdom now as there were thirty years ago; and it is certain, that many millions of acres of waile lands have been, in that compafs of time, ploughed up and cultivated, and confequently there must be a vaft quantity more of the neceffaries of life, now raised, than there was then; how then, Sir, can the prefent exorbitant price of fuch neceffaries be accounted for? To have much more provifions railed, fewer mouths to eat them, and yet to have fuch provifions at double the price they were, feems wonderful. Can you, Sir, unravel this mystery? There must be fome strange conduct, fome foul proceedings fomewhere, that can make the plenty of provifions the caufe of rai fing their price. This is a national concern, and well worthy of the confideration of our reprefentatives. The parliament are certainly a wife body of men, because we have been often told fo from the throne; but I could with they would fhew their wisdom in reducing the exorbitant price of provifions, that the labouring poor might be able to live; and which, I ap prehend, would be more for the fervice of the nation, than the war against our fellow fubjects in America. But, perhaps, our worthy members of parliament are fufficiently employed in finding out ways and means to raise money for the fupport of this unnatural war, and cannot fpare time to fhew their wisdom about preventing the industrious poor from being starved: and as that may be the cafe, they will not be offended at a poor weaver's prefuming to offer his humble fentiments concerning the aufe of the exceffive dearness of all 259 the neceffaries of life; and they will excufe me, fhould I attempt to prove it proceeded principally, from themfelves. It is well known, that the prices of all provisions have been riding for thefe laft thirty years, and are now got to double the value they were then at; and it is alfo well known, that our great men, and other perfons of landed eftates, have been raising the rents of their eftates for thirty years paft, and have now brought them to double the rents they were before: and this appears to be the natural caufe of the prefent exorbitant price of provifions; for if gentlemen have dou bled the rents of their farms, the farmers muft, to pay fuch rents, double the price of their products. This being the caufe of this national grievance, we may guefs the reafon why the wifdom of parliament could not find it out. The laws, which are wanted for the relief of all the lower claffes of the people, are fuch as will affect the prefent incomes, of the higher; and yet, if gentlemen were, in general, to reduce again the rents of their eftates, they would, at the fame time, reduce the prices of every thing they eat, drank or wore; and though they would thereby have lefs nominal eftates, they would have greater real ones; as they would gain more by the reduced prices of every thing they bought, than they loft by the falling of their rents. But the misfortune is, we have more pride than reason, more vanity than virtue, and are become a nation of mere fhew and appearance; all is outfide; and to make others think us happy, we make ourselves really wretched. Befides, Sir, the wifdom of parliament might, by other methods, give the induftrious poor fome relief; for can not the duties on foap, leather and candies, which bear too hard upon the lower claffes, be exchanged for other taxes on the luxuries of life; fo that the public revenue might rather be increafed than leffened thereby? The wifdom of parliament fhould confider thefe matters; for it is no proof of wisdom to leave the poor entirely to the care and difpenfation of Providence. A WEAVER. Το 260 May To the EDITOR of the LONDON MAGAZINE. SIR, We paffed part of the evening at the Duchefs of Bracciano's : as we were there early, before much company was arrived, he was fo obliging as to enter into a particular converfation with me. We were feated on a fofa, when one of the gentlemen in waiting entered and announced il Re. As there were many rooms to pass before this perfonage could appear, the feized that opportunity to defire me upon no account to speak to, or take the leaft notice of him, as it was not only what the infifted upon in her houfe, but that it was the pope's defire that no ftranger, particularly English, hould hold any converfation with him. I affured her my principles were diametrically oppofite to thofe of the Stuart family and their party, adding more of the like fort; but I concluded with faying, that if be spoke to me, I could not, as a gentlewoman, refrain from anfwering him, confidering him only in the light of a gentleman, and fhould treat him as I would do any other foreigner or native, with that general civility requifite on fuch occafions; the ftill infifted upon my not answer ing thould he fpeak to me, with which I refused to comply: I think I was right, my reasons were thefe; I knew before, that no gentlemen of the British empire make themfelves known to him, but on the contrary avoid it, except fuch as declare themselves difaffected to the prefent royal family; at leaft, fo it is understood at Rome. I had alfo heard that he politely avoided embarrafling them by throwing himself in their way but as I am not a man, it struck me as very ridiculous for me, a woman, not to reply to the Pretender, if he spoke to me, as such a caution would bear the appearance of paffing myself for being of political consequence; added to these confiderations, I had great curiofity to fee him and hear him fpeak. But to return; he entered, and bowing very politely to the company, advanced to the individual fofa on which I was placed with the Duchefs of Bracciano, and feated himself by me, having previously made me a particular bow, which I returned with a low curtsey; he endeavoured to enter into a converfation with me, which he effected by addreffing himself equally to the Duchefs, another lady, and myself; at last he addreffed me in particular, and afked me how many days fince my arrival at Rome, how long I fhould stay, and feveral fuch questions. This converfation paffed in French. What diftreffed me was how to style him. I had but a moment for reflection; it ftruck me that Mon Prince (though the common appellation (as in France) to every ftranger, whofe rank as a prince is the most dubious) would not come well from me, as it might admit of a double fenfe in an uncandid mind. Highness was equal-' ly improper, fo I hit upon what I thought a middle courfe, and called him Mon Seigneur. I wished to shorten the converfation, for all on a fudden he faid, "fpeak English, madam." Before I could reply, the Duchefs of Monte Libretti came up, and pulled me by the fleeve; I went with her to a card table at which he was going to play; I declined playing, not being perfect in the games; besides, you know I hate cards. At my departure, I took leave of the Duchefs of Bracciano (agreeable to the custom) and the Chevalier, who played at her table, officiously civil, role up, and wifhed me a good night. He is naturally above the middle fize, but ftoops exceffively; he appears bloated and red in the face, his countenance heavy and fleepy, which is attributed to his having given into excess of drinking; but when a young man, he must have been 1776. A Defcription of, and Converfation with the Pretender. 261 been efteemed handfome. His complexion is of the fair tint, and the contour of his face a long oval; he is by no means thin, has a noble prefence, and a graceful manner: his drefs was fcarlet, laced with a broad gold lace; he wears the blue ribband outfide of his coat, from which depends a cameo (antique) as large as the palm of my hand; and wears the fame garter and motto as thofe of the noble order of St. George in England; upon the whole, he has a melancholic, mortified appearance. Two gentlemen conftantly attend him; they are of Irish extraction, and Roman Catholics you may be fure. This evening, after quitting the Cardinal's, we were at the princefs Paleftrine's converfazione, where he was alfo. He addreffed me as politely as the evening before. The princefs defired me to fit by her; the played with him; he afked me, if I understood the game of Tarocchi (what they were about to play at ;) I answered in the negative, upon which, taking the pack in his hands, he defired to know if I had ever seen fuch odd cards; I replied, that they were very odd indeed; he then difplaying them faid, here is every thing in the world to be found in thefe cards, the fun, the moon, the ftars; and here, fays he, fhewing me a card, is the pope; here is the devil, and added, there is but one of the trio wanting, and you know who that fhould be. I was fo amazed, fo aftonifhed, though he spoke this laft in a laughing, good-humoured manner, that I did not know which way to look; and as to a reply, I made none, but avoided cultivating converfation as much as poflible, left he fhould give our converfation a political turn. What paffed afterwards was relative to fome of the English manners and amufements; fuch as, whether whift was in fashion at London, the affemblies numerous, &c. I was heartily glad when my visit was finished. To the EDITOR of the LONDON MAGAZINE. SIR, I DOUBT not but the difciples of indifcufe whether I how pages, begne the vifionary, Berkeley, are exult ing in the thought of my being foiled by my antagonist "O;" but if no abler champion appears, I fhall be under no dreadful apprehenfions, though like Goliah, he vaunts and feems to look upon me with contempt. Having told the public "that it is evident that if I had read the Principles of Human Knowledge, the Dialogues, &c. that I do not understand them," I cannot perceive that he has given any proof of his understanding them better, nor has he thrown any new lights upon them, or elucidated the principles. Like the mafter whom he copies, he dogmatically afferts, "that it muft of confequence be fo, that it is nonfenfe to say otherwife," and after all he proves nothing. Upon this gentleman's faying, "that I did not understand the Dialogues," I began to imagine there mult certainly be fome extraordinary mystery concealed that I had not been able to difcover upon which divefted of prejudice, I began with the Principles which I perused with patience, and to difpute whether I should not become a profelyte to his principles; but when I came to fection the 29th, page 58, I could not help believing that the author had introduced an argument which contradicted the whole of that fyftem which he intended it should fupport. I fhall leave the public to determine whether it does or not. "But whatever power I may have over my own thoughts, I find the ideas actually perceived by sense, have not a like dependance on my will. When in broad day-light I open my eyes, it is not in my power to choose whether I shall fee or no, or to deter mine what particular objects fhall prefent themselves to my view; and fo likewife as to the hearing and other fenfes, the ideas imprinted on them are not creatures of my will." Can there be a plainer proof that outward objects ftriking their images on the retina of the eyes, are the cause of ideas? Page 72. fection 47, he fays, "Hence it follows that there is an infinite number of parts, in each particle of matter, which are not perceived by fenfe. See Londen Magazine for January. The 262 Farther Remarks on Berkeley's Syftem, The reafon therefore that any particular body feems to be of a finite magnitude, and exhibits only a finite number of parts to fenfe, is, not because it contains no more, fince in itfelf it contains an infinite number of parts, but because the fenfe is not acute enough to difcern them." Then in fection 127, page 148, he has thefe words:" There is no fuch thing as the ten thoufandth part of an inch; but there is of a mile, or diameter of the earth, which may be fignified by that inch." If every particle of matter contains in itfelf an infinite number of parts, it should feem that an inch, which contains millions of particles, contains likewife ten thousand parts. As to the Dialogues, between Hylas and Philonious, I look upon fome parts of them, as the most finished pieces of abfurdity and nonfenfe. Take the following fpecimen from Dialogue ft. page 192. "Phil. When a pin pricks your finger, does it not rend and divide the fibres of your flesh ? Hylas. It doth, - Phil. And when a coal burns your finger, doth it any more?" Any perfon in his fenfes would have replied, "that the pin and the coal operated very differently; the pin rends and divides the fibres, but the fiery coal fcorches and confumes the part it touches." However he makes Hylas fay "It doth not." Nothing appears more ridiculous alfo than the hackneyed method of treating arguments by way of dialogue; as certainly the author never makes any objection until he has confidered whether he can make a plaufi. ble answer. He alfo takes care that the objections (hall be weak and trivial, and that they indirectly favour the propofition he endeavours to maintain.. Your correfpondent fays, "le would not recommend me to perplex myfelf with fpeculations of this kind, which require particular patience of thought and diligence of attention." This reminds me of a letter in the Turkish Spy, which is a keen burlefque upon thofe enthufiaftic dieamers who fearch for what is called, "the philofophers ftone." Mahomet having enquired of the dervife, whether it was eafy to attain the accomplishment of that great work, and what was neceffary for that great end? he received May the following reply, which bears some analogy to your correfpondent O's advice to me, viz. " that it was very. hard, which made almost all people defpair of compaffing it; there being very few people on whom heaven betowed the neceffary qualifications to acquire this precious knowledge: that these qualifications confifted in being a true philofopher, in being perfectly skilled in nature, and in having a patience, proof against all difappointments." Without doubt this gentleman conceives himself to be one of thofe favourites of heaven, who are endued with capacities fuperior to the reft of mankind. As to my part, I own I cannot deny the evidence of my fenfes, which convince me that matter is diftinct from idea, and that it exifts independent of all minds whatsoever; fo that I find no reafon to retract my former affertions for all that Berkeley has laid down. Berkeley asks, "in what manner do things exift independent of being perceived?" Which is the fame thing as to fay, "upon what principles can we afcertain that the Deity himself did exift from all eternity?" He could not have given a greater proof of his confummate vanity, than to fay," that philofophers have raifed a learned duft concerning the existence of matter, and after having involved themselves in inextricable difficulties, complain they cannot fee." Or to this import. He conceives himself to be the luminary that difcovers the mysterious arcana of nature, and removes the veil from all true philofophy. But my opinion is, that he has raifed fuch a duft, as none of his difciples will ever be able to fee through. He talks much of writers amusing themfelves with words, but he has exceeded all that went before him in that particular; and is equally, if not more, unintelligible. As to my antagonist, he has not in any refpect, answered my former letter. He tells me "that when I reflect that what pleases one talle, difgufts another; and what serves for food to fome animals, is lothed and abhorred by others.; I will no longer be able to retain my opinion, that the flavour of a cherry is abfolutely inherent in the cherry." Now I affure him that I have made the reflection he speaks of, many 1776. Defcant on Senfibility. times before I ever heard of Berkeley, but that reflection never made me entertain the leaft doubt of the food having in itfelf the fame qualities, and I always attributed the different ideas of taffe to arife from the viciated palate. Suppofing that the cherry tafted totally different to every animal, it would not prove that the cherry had not the quality of juice inherent in it felf. I cannot believe that any animal fhall chew an orange, and not perceive that it contains a liquid. When O answers me diftin&tly, let him likewife inform me, whether eating is an idea, or whether we chew inert matter? If it be an idea only, SENSIE 263 what is the reafon that the body cannot fubfift without a fucceffion of fuch kind of ideas? We might live an hundred years without having the idea of a coach prefented to us: roast beef and a coach are both tangible objects; what is the reafon that touching a piece of roast beef does not anfwer the fame purpose as eating it, fince touching and perceiving it conveys to us the idea of beef as much as touching and perceiving a coach conveys to us the idea of a coach? I am with refpect, Mr. Editor, your's, Defcant on SENSIBILITY. ENSIBILITY, thou fource of human woes, thou aggrandifer of evits, had I not been pofleffed of thee, how calmly might my days have paffed yet would I not part with thee for worlds. We will abide toge. ther, both pleafed and pained with each other. Thou shalt ever have a place in my heart, be the fovereign of my affections, and the friend of my virtue. Where thou pointeft the way I'll chearfully follow. Lead me to the abodes of mifery, to the scenes of diftrefs, nay to the field of battle, that cold bed of honour. My tears fhall bathe the hero's, wound; my advice revive the defponding widow, while my arms fecure and protect the timid orphan; I may find the houfe of mourning to be the porch of wifdom, and the throbs of agony may prove the most convincing monitors. Weeds fhall yield me instruction, and the difcernment of misfortune fhall caution me against the paths which inevitably terminate in it. Does the fond father, whofe years have tinfelled his locks with filver, mourn the lofs of a promifing fon, I will tenderly adminifter comfort, by informing him that the youth whom he deplores is far happier than his lamentations, in one fenfe, feem to with him. Early fnatched from care, perhaps from dependance, his defires are fatisfied, and his reft undisturbed. In the bofom of peace each murmur is forgot. The fable and deep waters of death, while they, ferenely flow C. G. into the vales of paradife on the one hand, by rolling their boisterous waves against the opposite shore of time, prove an infuperable obftacle to the entrance of pain. Hoary fage, be fparing of thy tears, thy fon is happy what wouldeft thou more? In yon narrow cell, no curft ambition, with flame infatiate, fall damp thegenerous purpofe of the foul; no mean avarice or felfish paffion embafe the heart or four the temper; no material lofs futtained shall hurt a child; no injury received thall grieve a relative, or fleep a loving fpoufe's couch in briny woe; no diffimulation tinge his own tongue, or guilty paffion wound his breaft. Is this his real ftate? Then tell me, if not from the mercy-feat, whence iffued the high decree? As a man, fuftain the fhock; as a Chriftian, adore! But ah! why weeps the tender mother? Are her hopes blafted, and her very defires laid in the tomb? How blooming and how gay! how faded and how dull! She fighing fays-painful recollection! was this the once admired Lavinia, who, foon as the attracted the eye, fubdued the heart? Infatiate archer, could neither youth nor beauty fave! Approach Lavinia's bier ye diffipated young, who spend hours at the toilet in adorning your perfon, or painting your faces, and view where beauty lies; blend the colour of mortality with your rouge, and encruft its precepts on your heart. Lavinia, lately the pride and delight of her |