ufual; and they did not all agree in opinion with Mr. Grantham. Among those who were prefent, were Mr. Ainsley, a barrifter at law, his wife, and Mr. Mainwaring, the vicar of a neighbouring parish. It was remarked by Mr. Ainfley, that an ingenious foreign writer has maintained, that the univerfal tafte for card-playing, which prevails throughout almost every part of Europe, has produced a confiderable change in the manners of men; and that this change appears to have been for the better. Before the invention of car-ls, there was lefs general intercourse between the fexes; that is, they were lefs together, lefs in fociety or company: but the perpetual intercourfe between them, which card-playing has occafioned, has greatly foftened and civilized the manners of men, and rendered them lefs inclined to daring fchemes of violence and ambition than at former periods. In short, the invention of card-playing, the progrefs of this amufement, and its univerfality, have greatly contributed to change the ftate of manners in Europe, and to bring its inhabitants from their ancient ferocity to their prefent degree of civilization.

I am far from thinking,' faid Mr. Grantham, that the prefent civilized manners of Europe can be fairly attributed to fo ftrange a fource as the invention of card-playing. This change of manners may certainly be much more naturally and reasonably accounted for by the abolition of the feudal fyftem, the invention of the art of printing, and the progrefs of the arts and sciences. But, if it fhould be admitted, that the invention of card-playing might be of ufe, in foftening the manners of men, at fuch a period as that in which the feudal fyftem prevailed, this diverfion can hardly be thought of any ufe for any fimilar purposes now. We are at prefent, I believe, fufficiently foft and effeminate. And I remember that the foreign writer, to whom Mr. Ainfley refers, acknowledges, that

the fedentary life, to which this eternal amufement reduces the two fexes, is calculated to weaken and enervate the body; and also, that if we do not fee fo many great crimes as formerly, we fee fewer inftances of the great and fplendid virtues. A general frivoloufnefs of manners has taken place, a propenfity to luxurious trifling, which has a tendency to difqual fy the mind for any great, or valuable, or manly purposes.'

As

Mrs. Ainley remarked, that she thought one advantage at leaft refulted from the ufe of cards. they made people talk lefs, of course they talked lefs fcandal than they otherwife would. Mrs. Afhton replied, that, in her opinion, the propagation of fcandal was not much prevented by the practice of cardplaying. The attention required by them might be fufficient to prevent any very rational conversation; but intervals were found adequate to the communication of whatever fashionable fcandal might be in circulation, Thofe who are difpofed to deal in defamation will not be prevented from doing it by the use of cards.

I have fomewhere read,' faid Philip, that the inhabitants of a very dreary part of the world, in which one fhould not expect to meet with much knowledge or civilization, I mean the inhabitants of Iceland, spend their leisure hours in a more rational manner, than the generality of thofe who live in the politer parts of Europe. It is faid even of the Icelandic peasants, that, when they meet together, their chief pastime is reading the history of their own country: from which cuftom it arifes, that it is difficult to meet with a peafant among them who is not well acquainted with their hiftory. Another of their amufements confifts in reciting verfes to each other. They ap pear to be well inftructed in the principles of religion; and are an honeft, obliging, and well-intentioned people.'

Mr. Grantham confirmed what PhiM m lip

lip had advanced in favour of the Icelanders, and of their taste for literature and for rational amufements. He added, that at an early period poetry flourished very much in Iceland; and that many of the Icelandic peasants could repeat the works of fome of their poets by heart. Before this ifland became fubject to Norway, it was one of the few countries in Europe in which the fciences were efteemed and cultivated; it appears, from their ancient chronicles, that its inhabitants poffeffed no inconfiderable degree of knowledge in moral philofophy, natural history, and attronomy; fome of their writings in the eleventh and twelfth centuries have been printed; and many of their manufcripts of that age are fill in being.

Mr. Mainwaring faid, that he had always confidered one of the beft arguments for the ufe of cards to be, the utility of having fome amufement in which perfons of different tempers and characters could readily join, and in which all perfons could at once unite, without any previous acquaintance, and without knowing any thing of each other's difpofitions. RaRational conversation,' faid he, is certainly preferable, more inftructive, and more pleafing; but how often do you fall into company who are totally incapable of any thing that can july be called rational converfation? In fuch a cafe, cards are a relief; and though, as I readily admit, you país your time with a very fufficient degree of infipidity and dulnefs, yet among ftrangers, and perfons who are not much in the habit of thinking, and who have little tafte for literature, you would, perhaps, be more aukward, and more dull, if the ufe of cards were precluded. 3

I can by no means think,' replied Mr. Grantham, that, because you often meet with company too dull and taftelefs, and tco deflitute of knowledge, to afford any very inttructive converfation, that therefore a fashion fhould be introduced and countenanced, which renders all company almost equally dull, equally ftupid, and equally infipid. It would be much better to endure fuch company as were incapable of agreeable converfation, when one had the misfortune to fall into it, with as much patience as we coul' fummon up on the occafion, and to collect fuch ideas as they were capable of conveying, rather than perfitt in a practice which puts all company upon a level. But fuch is the effect of fashion, that I have often known cards called for in companies, who were extremely capable of fuftaining an inftructive and interefting converfation. This is a much greater trial of my patience, than the occa onal endurance of the converfation even of the most ignorant and thoughtless. One is fometimes diverted by their abfurdities; but cards afford to me as little amusement as inftruction. And I cannot but regard it, both as the interest and the duty of perfons of taite, and fentiment, and knowledge, to take every opportunity of discountenancing a fpecies of fathionable amusement, which is only adapted for the propagation and perpetuation of ignorance, which occafions a fhameful wafte of that time which might be much more beneficially, as well as agreeably employed, which is equally ufelefs to the body and to the mind, and which is beft calculated to please those persons of both fexes, who are the most devoid of genius, and the most infignificant and frivolous.'

MEMOIRS

R

OBERT DODSLEY, was born at Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire, in the year 1753. The humble fituation and circumitances' of his parents precluded him from the advantages of a liberal education; and to his mitfortune in this refpect he has alluded in one of his poems:

O native Sherwood! happy were thy

bard,

Might thefe his rural notes, to future

time,

Boaft of tail groves, that nodding o'er thy plain,

Rofe to their tuneful meloly. But ah!
Beneath the feebie efforts of a mufe

Untutored by the lore of Greece or Rome,
A tranger to the fair Caftalian fprings,
Whence happier poets infpiration draw,
And the fwect magic of perfuafive fong,
The weak prefumption, the fond hope ex-
pires.

When he grew up to manhood, no better mode of fubfiftence offered itfelf than that of entering into fervice; and therefore he became a footman to the honourable Mrs. Lowther, in which station his good conduct and abilities foon brought him into notice. Several poems were written by him, which excited fo much attention that he was encouraged to publish them; and this he did under the title of The Mufe in Livery.' The collection is now little known; but the writer of the prefent article remembers to have seen it above fifty years ago; and, as far as his memory ferves him at fo long a ditance of time and upon a flight infpection, the work was printed in large 12mo. or what now would be called crown octavo, had a handfome lift of fubfcribers prefixed to it, and was dedicated to Mrs. Lowther.

What contributed flill more to Mr. Dodley's reputation, was his writing a dramatic piece called The Toy

hop,' which being fhewn in manufeript to Mr. Pope, he was fo well pleafed with the delicacy of its fatire, and the fimplicity of its defign, that he took the author under his prɔtedion; and though he had no imme diate connection with the theatre, procured fuch a powerful intereft in his fawithout delay upon the stage. vour, that his production was brought It was acted at Covent-garden in 1735, and met with great fuccefs; and when printed, it was received with much applaufe by the public. The Hint,' fay the writers of the Biographia Dramatica, of this elegant and fenfible little piece teems built on " Randolph's Mufes Looking-Glafs." The author of it, however, has fo perfectly modernized it, and adapted the fatire to the peculiar manners and follies of the times he writes to, that he has made it perfectly his own, and rendered it one of the jufteft, and at the fame time the best-natured rebukes that fafhionable abfurdity perhaps ever met with.'

The pecuniary advantages which Mr. Dodley had derived from his first publication, and from the fuccefs of his dramatic tatire, were applied by him to a very wife and useful purpofe. Inftead of adopting the precarious fituation of a town writer, he determined to engage in fome profitable bufiness; and the business he fixed upon was happily fuited to his literary tafte, and favourable to his connections with men of learning. In 1735, he opened a book feller's fhop in Pall-mall; and in this station, fuch was the effect of Mr. Pope's recommendation and affiftance, and of his own good character and behaviour, that he foon obtained not only the countenance of perfons of the first abilities, but also of thofe of the first rank; and in a few years he rose to M m 2

great

great eminence in his profeffion. Mr. Dodfley's employment as a bookfeller, did not, however, prevent his purfuing the bent of his genius as an author. In 1736-7, he produced upon the ftage, at Drury lane theatre, a farce, entitled The King and the Miller of Mansfield,' which met with a fuccefs not inferior to that of The Toyshop.' The plot of the piece is built on a traditional story in the reign of king Henry the fecond Of this ftory Mr. Dodfley has made a very pleafing ufe, and has wrought it out into a truly dramatic conclufion. The dialogue is natural, yet elegant; the fitire poignant, yet genteel; the fentimental parts are fuch as do honour both to the head and the heart of the writer; and the catastrophe, though fimple, is affecting and perfectly juft. The scene lies in and near the Miller's houfe in Sherwood Foreft; and Mr. Dodfley had probably an additional pleasure in the choice of his fubject, from the connection of it with his native place. In 1737-8, he brought forward another farce, entitled Sir John Cockle at Court.' It was acted at Drury-lane, and is a fequel to The King and Miller of Manffield.' The miller, newly made a knight, comes up to London, with his family, to pay his compliments to the king. This piece is not, however, equal in merit to the firit part: for though the king's difguifing himfelf in order to put fir John's integrity to the teft, and the latter's refilling every temptation, not only of bribery, but of flattery alfo, is ingenious, and gives an opportunity for many admirable ftrokes both of fentiment and fatire, yet there are a fimplicity and a fitness for the drama in the ftory of the former production, which it is fcarcely poffible to come up to, in the circumftances that arife from the incidents of the Sir John Cockle at Court.'

Mr. Dodfley's next dramatic performance was The blind Beggar of Bethnal Green,' a ballad farce, which, according to Mr.. Victor, was acted

at Drury-lane, in 1739, (meaning, without doubt, 1739-40) but the writers of the Biographia Dramatica fay, in 1741. This piece did not meet with much fuccefs. In 1745 Mr. Dodfley was the author of Rex et Pontifex,' being an attempt to introduce upon the stage a new fpecies of pantomime. It does not, however, appear to have been reprefented at any of our theatres. In 1748, our ingenious bookfeller collected together, in one volume, 8vo. the several dramatic productions we have mentioned (and which had all of them been feparately printed) and publifhed them under the modeft title of

Trifles.' The treaty of Aix-laChapelle afforded to Mr. Dodsley another opportunity of difplaying his poetical talents, in conjunction with his loyalty. On this occafion, he wrote The Triumph of Peace,' a mafque, which was fet to mufic by Dr. Arne, and performed at Drurylane, in 1748-9.

Mr. Dodley, in the year 1750, was the concealed author of a small work, which, for a fhort time, had a very great celebrity. It was published under the following title; The Economy of Human Life, translated from an Indian manufcript, written by an ancient Bramin. To which is prefixed, an account of the manner in which the faid manufcript was difcovered. In a letter from an English gentleman, now refiding in China to the earl of ******. According to the pretended hiftory of the faid letter, as dated from Peking, on the 12th of May 1749, the emperor of China, very curious of fearching after the writings of antiquity,' commiffioned one of the Hanlins, or Doctors of the first order, to go on a kind of embafly to the grand Lama, or immortal high priest of Tartary, the chief object of which was to obtain fome of those ancient books, which were fuppofed to have been for many ages fecreted from public infpection. He fucceeded fo far as to procure a number of valuable pieces of antiquity,

among