his road unentertaining; but a poor devil of an author must go on with the utmost caution,-looking backwards, and forwards, and fideways, and endways and hath business enough on his hands, to keep every thing tight together, that his work doth not tumble to pieces. He is in truth, only the reader's pioneer, to clear all obftructions, open his views, and render his way cheerful. - As every advantage feems to be thrown on the reader's fide, I muft, as an author, contend, that there are fome indulgences due to us.-I do not prefume to hint, that we have the privilege of taking a nap, because our reader hath; on the contrary, it is incumbent on us to keep his eyes open as long as poffible, as his fleep may be death to us;-but furely, while 8 we we are bufied in entertaining him, we may be allowed a little recreation ourfelves, and if a delicious meadow, or a tempting piece of greenfward, lies by the road-fide, what literary code is there, to prohibit our taking a canter over it, though it lie out of the ftraight line of our journey? For my own part, whenever the old horfe I ride hath a mind for a frifk, either to the right, or the left, I feel that I muft, and will, indulge his humour, in fpite of all the canons of criticifim. As long as it is natural, they may fire and welcome.-Now ftraight lines are, and ever were, my averfion; - my writingmaster could never tempt me when a child, to use them;-they may ferve admirably well for rulers-walkingsticks-mafts-or may-poles, B 2 but the the line of beauty difavows them.The FRENCH, it is true, lay out their roads by them, because their notions of liberty and property, allow them. to cut through any thing,-but ours in this country, being more delicate on the fubject, it is by many curves -and windings-and pleasant turnings, that we get from town to town. -In fhort, ftraight lines are now abfolutely exploded,-they are not found to lead to the preferments of the world; nor do hereditary virtues, or fortunes, run any longer in them! Every road from BERWICK upon TWEED to PENZANCE, is zig-zag— every modern walk and plantation, zig-zag,-every avenue about court, zig-zag, and fo too are all our ideas; nay, and what is much to be lamented, fo are all our lives too. -And this is that which frets their reverences fo much; and will, to the end of time, furnish us with new volumes of fermons.- -However difgufting to the eye the Atraight line may appear, yet any digreffion from it, which, after a little curve, reverts into it; becomes a pleafing form;- and fhould digreffions interfect the ftraight line on the other fide alfo, the whole united, takes nearly the figure of MERCURY'S Caduceus, which is indifputably the true ferpentine, and the finest model to write by;-and befides, being perfectly antique, you had better go to bed, be you who you will, than open your mouth against it. --Having faid thus much in fup-. port of an author's privilege, and at the fame time, in favor of occafional digreffions, B 3 digreffions, not only in my own work,but in any work, -or in every work, -I befeech the reader, fhould he chance to fee me fet off on a fudden, that he would not halloo after me, but that he will conclude, I am in purfuit of fomething for his fervice,and confider that every writer knows,. or fhould know, his way home, and is bound to take care of his own. neck. -And now, cOURTEOUS READER, let us fet forward once more together.. -If thou really haft a claim to the appellation I have given thee, thou art juft the perfon I am looking for, whenever I fet pen to paper :-but if, on the contrary, thou haft refined away thy power of being pleased ;if thou canft facrifice thy feelings. to rules, and be out of humour at every |