opinion, with the Examiner's approbation; and shall not a Protestant be permitted to write an answer to it? For this, Mr. Guardian, is the present case. Last year a Papist, or to please Mr. Examiner, a Roman catholic, published the life of St. Winifred, for the use of those devout pilgrims who go in great numbers to offer up their prayers to her at her well. This gave occasion to the worthy prelate, in whose diocese that well is, to make some observations upon it; and in order to undeceive so many poor deluded people, to show how little reason, and how small authority there is, not only to believe any of the miracles attributed to St. Winifred, but even to believe there ever was such a person in the world. And shall then a good man, upon such an account, be liable to be abused in so public a manner? Can any good Churchof-England man bear to see a bishop, one whom her present majesty was pleased to make, treated in so ludicrous a way? Or should one pass by the scurrility and the immodesty that is to be found in several parts of the paper? Who can with patience see St. Paul and St. Winifred set by the Examiner upon a level, and the authority for one made by him to be equal with that for the other? Who, that is a Christian, can endure his insipid mirth upon so serious an occasion? I must confess it raises my indignation to the greatest height, to see a pen that has been long employed in writing panegyrics upon persons of the first rank, who would be indeed to be pitied were they to depend upon that for their praise, to see I say, the same pen at last made use of in defence of popery. . I think I may now, with justice, congratulate with those whom the Examiner dislikes; since, for my own part, I should reckon it my great honour to be worthy his dis-esteem, and should count his censure praise. June 20. • I am, SIR, Your most humble servant." The above letter complains, with great justice, against this incorrigible creature; but I do not insert any thing concerning him, in hopes what I say will have any effect upon him, but to prevent the impression which what he says may have upon others. I shall end this paper with a letter I have just now written to a gentleman, whose writings are often inserted in the Guardian', without deviation of one title from what he sends me. SIR, I HAVE received the favour of yours with the inclosed, which made up the papers of the two last days. I cannot but look upon myself with great contempt and mortification, when I reflect that I have thrown away more hours than you have lived, though you so much excel me in every thing for which I would live. Till I knew you, I thought it the pri vilege of angels only to be very knowing and very innocent. In the warmth of youth to be capable of such abstracted and virtuous reflections, with a suitable life, as those with which you entertain yourself, is the utmost of human perfection and felicity. The greatest honour I can conceive done to another, is when an elder does reference to a younger, though that younger is not distinguished above him by fortune. Your contempt of pleasures, riches and honour, will crown you with them all, and I wish you them not for your own sake, but for the reason which only would make them eligible to yourself, the good of others. I am, dearest youth, June 23. • Your friend and admirer, • NESTOR IRONSIDE.' * George Berkeley, then fellow of Trinity college, Dublin. See No. 89. note ad finem. See Introd. note to No. 126.; and No. 130. note on Mr. Bartelett. Ir is the great rule of behaviour to follow nature.' The author of the following letter is so much convinced of this truth, that he turns what would render a man of a little soul exceptious, humoursome and particular in all his actions, to a subject of raillery and mirth. He is, you must know, but half as tall as an ordinary man, but is contented to be still at his friend's elbow, and has set up a club, by which he hopes to bring those of his own size into a little reputation: SIR, TO NESTOR IRONSIDE, ESQ. I REMEMBER a saying of yours concerning persons in low circumstances of stature, that their littleness would hardly be taken notice of, if they did not manifest a consciousness of it themselves in all their behaviour. Indeed, the observation that no man is ridiculous, for being what he is, but only in the affectation of being something more, is equally true in regard to the mind and the body. I question not but it will be pleasing to you to hear that a set of us have formed a society, who are sworn to "dare to be short," and boldly bear out the dignity of littleness under the noses of those enormous engrossers of manhood, those hyperbolical monsters of the species, the tall fellows that overlook us. The day of our institution was the tenth of De *POPE'S. cember, being the shortest of the year, on which we are to hold an annual feast over a dish of shrimps. The place we have chosen for this meeting is in the Little Piazza, not without an eye to the neighbourhood of Mr. Powel's opera, for the performers of which we have, as becomes us, a brotherly affection. At our first resort hither an old woman brought her son to the club-room, desiring he might be educated in this school, because she saw here were finer boys than ordinary. However, this accident no way discouraged our designs. We began with sending invitations to those of a stature not exceeding five foot, to repair to our assembly; but the greater part returned excuses, or pretended they were not qualified. 'One said he was indeed but five foot at present, but represented that he should soon exceed that proportion, his periwig-maker and shoe-maker having lately promised him three inches more betwixt them. • Another alledged, he was so unfortunate as to have one leg shorter than the other, and whoever had determined his stature to five foot, had taken him at a disadvantage; for when he was mounted on the other leg, he was at least five foot" two inches and a half. • There were some who questioned the exactness of our measures; and others, instead of complying, returned us informations of people yet shorter than themselves. In a word, almost every one recommended some neighbour or acquaintance, whom he was willing we should look upon to be less than he. We were not a little ashamed that those who are past the years of growth, and whose beards pronounce them men, should be guilty of as many unfair tricks in this " "I could never," said Swift, speaking of Pope, " I could never get the blockhead to learn his grammar." The Doctor himself, and not seldom, broke Priscian's head. point, as the most aspiring children when they are measured. 'We therefore proceeded to fit up the club-room, and provide conveniencies for our accommodation. In the first place we caused a total removal of all the chairs, stools, and tables, which had served the gross of mankind for many years. The disadvantages we had undergone while we made use of these, were unspeakable. The president's whole body was sunk in the elbow chair: and when his arms were spread over it, he appeared, to the great lessening of his dignity, like a child in a go-cart. It was also so wide in the seat, as to give a wag occasion of saying, that notwithstanding the president sat in it, there was a sede vacante. The table was so high, that one who came by chance to the door, seeing our chins just above the pewter dishes, took us for a circle of men that sat ready to be shaved, and sent in half a dozen barbers. Another time one of the club spoke contumeliously of the president, imagining he had been absent, when he was only eclipsed by a flask of Florence which stood on the table in a parallel line before his face. We therefore new-furnished the room in all respects proportionably to us, and had the door made lower, so as to admit no man above five foot high, without brushing his foretop, which whoever does is utterly unqualified to sit among us. "Some of the Statutes of the Club are as follow: I. Ir it be proved upon any member, though never so duly qualified, that he strives as much as possible to get above his size, by stretching, cocking, or the like; or that he hath stood on tiptoe in a crowd, with design to be taken for as tall a man as the rest : or hath privily conveyed any large book, cricket, or |