answered her, that I had never read the works of that renowned author, but that I had read the Principia of Sir Isaac Newton. 'Why, indeed,' replied she, Sir Isaac may have been a man of better principles, but assheurement, the theories of the Count are

' wittier.'

It is a happy circumstance that miss Winterbottom did not make the grand tour. Had she visited Italy, she would have proved as great an adept in statuary and in painting, as she is at present in philosophy. But Miss Winterbottom cannot, in conscience, talk of her having visited Italy, while her travels were limited to the borders of Piedmont.

I never heard her mention Italy but once, and then she got no great encouragement to proceed in her remarks. At dinner she said, I remember, that, in Italy, they have something very like our veal, which they call vitello.' Well, sister Juddy, cried captain Winterbottom, and why should they not? for if vitello means veal in their lingo, what • else would you have the poor devils call it?'

It was resolved to postpone my lessons for a while, that,' as Mr. Flint expressed it, I might come 'to know the ways of the house first.'

Miss Juliana constantly teased me with questions about my plan for her nephew's education. To puzzle her a little I said, that, some weeks hence, I proposed to teach him to make nonsense verses, Misericorde,' cried she, nonsense verses! Is that part of the ettiquaitte?"

6

Let the boy alone,' added Captain Winterbottom, ' when he is old enough to be in love, he will make nonsense verses, I warn't you, without any help of yours; ay, although it should be on Mamma's • dairy-maid.' Mr. Flint laughed loud, and Mrs. Flint said gently, Oh fy, brother!'

6

Perceiving that, on this encouragement, the Cap

tain was about to be more witty, I recalled the conversation to nonsense verses, endeavoured to explain their nature, and observed, that their main use was to instruct one in the quantity of syllables.

Quantity of syllables,' exclaimed the Captain, there is a modern education for you! Boys have ⚫ their heads lumbered with great quantities of Latin syllables and words, when they should be taught to understand things, to speak their own language • rough and round, and so cut a figure in parliament. I remember Will. Fitzdriver; but he is gone! • Honest Will. knew no tongue except a little of his • own, and yet he would talk to you for an hour, and you would have thought that he had scarcely ⚫ entered on the subject at all. He never valued any ' of your outlandish lingos, not he!'

into

I said, that, if my pupil were of an age to go parliament, I should be apt to advise him to follow the precepts of Pythagoras, and be silent for seven years. He must have been a sure card, that Mr. Pythagoras, observed the Captain, and I do 6 suppose that he lived up to his own precepts; for • I never heard of any speaker of that name; no, not • even in committees. People, to be sure, may hold their tongues, and have a slice of the great pudding; but this is not a time for your dumb senators.

No,

we must have bold well-spoken men, to tell poor • Britannia that she is beggared, and bleeding, and expiring, ay, and dead too, for ought that some folks care.' He rounded this pathetic period with one of his best oaths.

• Were all men to make speeches,' said I, what time would there be left for doing business!' Business,' cried the Captain, is not oratory business? and why cannot they set to it watch and watch, as we do at sea?'

Mrs. Flint expressed her hope, that I would not

load her poor boy's memory, by making him get a deal by heart.

When I first got the multiplication-table by heart,' said Mr. Flint, who generally falls in the rear of conversation, it was a plaguy troublesome job; but now that I am master of it, I don't perceive that it loads my memory at all.'

Learned men have remarked,' said Miss Juliana, that it is not the getting by heart that is censurable, but the getting by rote, as one does one's • catechism.'

6

There she goes, the travelled lady,' cried the Captain; she must always have a fling at her cate'chism.'

6

Mr. Winterbottom,' replied Miss Juliana with exceeding dignity, you wrong me much; I am 6 sure, that I should be the last woman alive to say any thing, especially in mixed companies, to the disparagement of the religion of the state, which I have always considered as the great lyeng [lien] of society.'

• You have always considered religion as great lying! and who taught you that, sister Juddy? your godfathers and your godmothers! No,

⚫ sure.'

Here I was laid under the necessity of interposing, and of assuring Captain Winterbottom, that he mistook his sister, and that she had inadvertently used a French word to express her own idea, that reli"gion was the great tie of society.' Perhaps I prevaricated a little in my office of interpreter.

'Well, well,' said the Captain, if her tongue was tied, society would be no loser.'

To divert the storm which seemed gathering, I spoke of my purpose to explain the tenth satire of Juvenal, a poem, for method, composition, and animated language, universally admired.

'What does that Juvenal write about? said Miss Juliana: I am not acquainted with his works: was he a member of the French academy ? Perhaps,' replied I, smiling, he would be no favourite with Miss Juliana; he has been very severe upon the Roman ladies.'

you,

6

Ay, they were Papists,' said Captain Winterbottom, and they are all wh.” 'Give me leave to tell you,' cried Miss Juliana, in a higher key, ' when I was abroad, I had the honour of being • known to several ladies of the Roman persuasion, and they were persons of the strictest virtue.'

I suppose you asked them whether they were wh- and they said they were not. Poor sister Juddy! It is true, I never was in the gallies at Nice, as you have been; but I have touched at • Marseilles, and have laid close off the mole of • Genoa, and that is farther than ever you travelled; and I say they are all wh-.'

How this wonderful controversy would have ended, I know not; but happily we were called to coffee, which separated the combatants.

I was now pretty well acquainted with the ways of a house, in which ignorance, self-conceit, and illiberality of sentiment and manners, had fixed their residence. It was agreed, that on the Monday following I should begin my lessons. Appearances, I must acknowledge, were not very favourable. My pupil had been generally present at the conversations of which I have given you a specimen, and, indeed, they were not such as could either enlarge his mind, or improve his understanding. I flattered myself, however, that he would be left to prosecute his studies under my direction, and that every new acquisition in knowledge would increase his love for letters.

In what way our studies were conducted, will best

appear from a faithful journal of the we made during the first week. But of this here

progress which

after.

Meanwhile

I am, Sir, &c.

HYPODIDASCALUS.

N° 98. SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 1780.

SIR,

To the AUTHOR of the MIRror.

I Now send you a faithful narrative of the progress of our studies in Mr. Flint's family, from Monday morning to Saturday at bed-time, carefully distinguishing the proficiency made in each day.

MONDAY.

Mrs. Flint had previously informed me, that her son's constitution did not agree with much study before breakfast, and that, whenever he read on an empty stomach, he was apt to be disturbed with uneasy yawnings; we therefore resolved that he should have a short lesson only at eight in the morning.

After waiting in the parlour till within a quarter of nine, I learned from Mrs. Flint, that her son had been observed to turn himself twice or thrice during the night, and that he seemed to be threatened with a sort of stuffing and wheesing: and that by way of prevention, she judged it best to give him a little senna, and confine him to his chamber for a few