viction, is very often the only avowed motive for the regular performance of all external duties; but more particularly of those which concern religion. The following imaginary tranfaction will, perhaps, fuggeft an idea of that poor and political decency which it is thought a very extraordinary effort of virtue to maintain. Let us then invent a fcene of fiction by way of exemplification,

"We must have a Fast Day soon," fays the Statefman, "for the Americans have had one already." "It is unneceffary," replies the Privy Counsellor in the jockey drefs, aiming at a wretched pun, "it is all a "farce." "Between friends," fubjoins the Statefman, "I am not fonder of fuch formalities than you are; but you know it is decent, and we must con"form, externally at leaft, to the prejudices of the "mob." "It is decent, my Lord," re-echoes the bench of Bishops.

"There is a Sermon preached to-day before the "House of Lords," fays a member; "True," fays another," but I vote it a Bore; and befides, I am en"gaged to fee a fine bitch pointer that I think of buy

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ing;" "well," refumes the other, "but let us make

a party of two or three to church, because it is "decent." "We beg, my Lords," foftly whispers an epifcopal voice," you would not put yourselves to the "fmalleft inconvenience, for half a dozen of us have

determined, though we have a thousand engagements, "to poftpone them an hour or two for the fake of de

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cency. Decency, my Lord, muft fuperfede every "confideration." "Will you go to church, my Lord "Duke?" fays one, lowly bowing to his patron, "No; I think it decent, but you will be there on "that account; and as I am engaged to-day at billiards, I muft beg to be excufed :— -but I hope "there will be enough there to make a decent ap

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pearance.

Among the gay fenators of the British empire it has been obferved, that very few, of late, have difplayed in this inftance even that fubordinate virtue of which we fpeak, a regard to external decency. Weftminfter Abbey, indeed, is not a place to be frequented for

pleasure

pleasure by those who chiefly shine in the ftand at a horfe-race. One or two officers however do attend a fermon officially, and a few others for the fake of decency; but the knowing-ones confider the whole business, to express their own ideas in their own language, as a curfed lounge. This business therefore, and many others of a moft folemn, facred, and venerable nature, being confidered merely as encumbrances by the jolly part, which is the greater part, they are utterly neglected, or attended by a few only, whose interest compels them to have a regard to decency.

Our religion teaches us to feparate one day out of feven for religious purpofes. But many of the wife men who were born to be our English Solons and Lycurgi, or, in other words, who happen to be defcended from peers, and therefore fit as hereditary legiflators, confider the inftitution merely as a foolish fuperftition; and therefore fpend the Sabbath, like the charming people abroad, at cards and in diffipation, and very much lament thofe grofs prejudices of the common people, which render it decent and prudent not to open the theatres, and enliven the horrid dullness of the Seventh Day by public diverfions. Even mighty good fort of people, as they are ufually called, hefitate not to confefs, that a regard to external decency is one of the chief motives of their regular conduct in obferving the Sabbath, and other virtuous practices of our forefathers.

pay

It would not be difficult to trace this motive of decency in many of the apparent virtues, which difplay themfelves with no little oftentation, in every department of human life. But it is really better to that deference to virtue which arifes from affuming the appearances, than by impudent and avowed contempt of it, to injure others by the example. To have merely a regard to decency in common life, and in a wicked and unprincipled age, becomes, in fome degree, virtuous. We will not, therefore, expofe this unfound virtue to fevere cenfure, except when it appears in religion, where, whatever appearances are infincere, conftitute hypocrity of a moft deteftable kind; hypocrify, founded on felf-intereft. It is the man of decent character (and with this view alone he is decent), who

rifes to preferment, and then laughs in his lawn fleeves at the humble Chriftian in tattered crape, who is too fincere to be political, too found in the inner man to want or admit the varnish of the whited fepulchre.

Pope has faid, that Secker was decent, and that Rundle had a heart. Whether the cenfure or the praise was juft is not mine to determine. All I fhall remark on the paffage is, that though decency may smooth the way to courts, and infinuate itfelf into the higheft feats of preferment, it is a heart only which is capable of deriving, from the fuccefs, a pure and folid fatisfaction. Though decency without fincerity may be approved by narrow politicians, and even gain the applaufe of the multitude by deceiving them, yet let not the hypocrite triumph, but remember, that there is one before whom all hearts are open, all defires known, and from whom no fecrets are hidden.

No. CXXI. ON THE ANIMOSITIES OCCASIONED IN THE COUNTRY BY THE GAME LAWS.

N a late paper on the difagreements of a country

fruitful caufes of them, intending to confider it in a paper by itself, confiftently with its extenfive and im‐ portant operation. I believe it will be allowed by all who have made remarks, that the individuals of this nation are more feriqufly and inveterately divided by difputes about the Game, than by controverfies, which make much more noife in the world on the fubjects of politics or religion. What remains among us of favagenefs and brutality is chiefly preferved by the mean and felfifh greedinefs of thofe who poffefs a thousand peculiar advantages, and who yet meanly contend for an exclufive right to deftroy the Game; that ufufrúctuary property, which the Creator intended to be poffeffed by the first occupant, like the air, light, and

water.

Some

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Some restraints however of that kind, which tend to prevent the poor labourer from wafting his valuable time, might, perhaps, be neither unjuft, nor, in any respect, attended with inconvenience. But the Game Laws, as they now fubfift in England, are a difgrace to the noble fabric of our free conflitution. They are illiberal in their nature; they originated in flavery, and they lead to tyranny. It is remarked by Burn, and the great commentator on our legal fyftem, that, in one ftatute only for the prefervation of Game, there are not less than fix blunders in Grammar, besides other mistakes; fo that one is led to conclude, that this part of our boafted code was drawn up by a committee of boorish country efquires and ftupid fox-hunters. Indeed, the whole body of the Game Laws is replete with perplexity, abfurdity, and contradiction. What can be more ridiculous, than that the legislature of a mighty empire fhould require one hundred a year as a qualification to shoot a poor partridge, and only forty fhillings to vote for a Senator?" There is another offence," fays Blackftone, "fo conftituted by a variety of acts of parliament, which are fo numerous, " and fo confused, and the crime itfelf of fo queftion"able a nature, that I shall not detain the reader with many obfervations thereupon. And yet it is an offence which the sportsmen of England feem to think "of the highest importance; and a matter, perhaps "the only one, of general and national concern: affociations having been formed all over the kingdom to prevent its deftructive progress; I mean the "offence of destroying fuch beafts and fowls as are "ranked under the denomination of Game." Upon the whole, it may be truly faid, that an Englishman, who has a regard for the honour of his country, and fenfe enough to fee the mean and arbitrary fpirit of the Game Laws, and the nonfenfe of the Letter, must hide his face in confufion, when he confiders how much time and attention has been fpent upon them by the British Legiflature.

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Rural diverfions certainly conftitute a very pleafing and proper amufement for all ranks above the loweft. Every man who has a juft claim to the title of gen

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tleman,

tleman, or, indeed, who is capable of spending his time in amusement, without injuring the publick or his own family, ought to be fuffered to partake of them. If he gives up his hours, his labour, and his thoughts to the purfuit, he has earned a right to the object, fince the object is of a nature which cannot be appropriated while alive and at liberty. A fellow-creature is agreeably amused and benefited, and no man robbed,~ fince the bird that flies in the air no more belongs to the tenant of the manfion-house, than the fun-beam which equally fhines on the cottage and the palace. Poor is the opulence, and little the grandeur, which fhews a difpofition which would undoubtedly engrofs, if it were poffible, the light and the air.

With respect to the matter of trefpafs, it is certain, that a Lord of the Manor is no less liable to be profecuted for it on his own manor than any other perfon, whether qualified or unqualified. It fhews, therefore, the ignorance, as well as arbitrary difpofition of these petty princes, when they claim the privilege of prowling for prey, without controul, on their neighbour's land, and of excluding all others from their own. In fhort, it is extremely doubtful what privileges the lord of the manor poffeffes; and whether he has a better right to hunt and shoot, without a particular grant from the king, than the meaneft fubject whom he bullies and browbeats. The contemptible laws which have been made on this bufinefs certainly want illuftration and amendment. Indeed they ought to be torn out of the statute book; and the memory of them, like that of feudal ignorance and flavery, execrated.

There is a practice particularly mean and oppreffive, which very much prevails in this felfifh age, among the engroffers of that part of the creation which God and nature have conftituted free as the feas and the winds. They do not confider the purfuit of Game in the liberal light of a gentleman-like diverfion, but view the hare and the partridge as provender for the table at once genteel and cheap. They therefore feldom give themselves the trouble to join in the chace, or carry the gun over the furrows; but felect fome idle peafant, who, by poaching, has acquired a fkill in the arts of destroying