1803.' cr Improved Breed of Sleep j ^i\ 437 



delivered in a fort of parables, that I confefs I do not under- 

 ftand them. What does he mean by this apothc'jrm ? ' A cer- 

 tain author wrote a book, and after much trouble and ex- 

 pence in the publifliing it, he could find nobody that would 

 buy it, * &c. WTiat is all tliis to the queftion at iflTue ? to 

 me it is inexplicable. As to being unfortunate in the choice 

 of hog mutton, I never aflerted that it was good eating. I 

 only adduced the fact, to fliew, that young fheep, of other 

 breeds than the Ncw-Leictfters, if well fed, would die as well 

 as they : nor did I ever difpute, but that there was much plea- 

 fure to be procured under a blanket or a petticoat ; I only in- 

 fift, that the wool of the New-Leicefters, of which thefe ar- 

 ticles are made, is not near fo fine or valuable as the fliort cloth- 

 ing wool, which fells for more money ; and, from the prefent 

 flate of Europe, mud every day become more and more valuable ; 

 and renders the extenfion and improvement of the Ihort-wooUed 

 fheep abfolutely neceffary for preferving the woollen manufac- 

 ture of England. Your correfpondent is fo dull, ignorant, or 

 affected, that he does not know my motive for writing the ob- 

 fervations on the modern improvement of farm (lock. I muft 

 therefore tell him, that it was to detect the fraud, and expofe 

 the folly of the perfon, who inferted the abfurd paragraph in the 

 Edinburgh neu-fpapers, holding up Mr Brodie to the public eye 

 as an object of praife and admiration, for benefiting the Edin- 

 burgh markets with his houfe lamb and coarfe miUtton, when, 

 in faft, he did not deferve it ; but this your correfpondent at- 

 tributes to the envy of a little mind. I may furely here fafely 

 apply to him the precept of the great mailer in morals : ^ JVky 

 heholdeft thou the mote that is ifi thy brother's eye, but ccnfukreji not 

 the beam that is in thi?je onvn eye ? for with what judgment ye judge, 

 ye Jljali be judged, and with what meafure ye mete, it Jfjall be tnea- 

 fured to you again. ' 1 fhall therefore be bold to tell him, that the 

 envy of a little mind proceeds from vanity, the offspring of ig- 

 norance, combined with affectation, ef which he has pled guil- 

 ty. Of this, nothing can be more flriking, than from my hav- 

 ing had occafion to mention a name, for the purpofe of fubflan- 

 tiating a fa(ft, and his laying hold of this circumdance, to hold 

 up Mr Brodie as a man of fortune, who has arifen to opulence y 

 and, in fo doing, he has been odious enough to draw compari- 

 fons betwixt them, and has even made the other fuifer (in hisr 

 opinion), becaufe he is not fo rich as Mr Brodie. If this is not 

 the effedl of vanity, fermenting on the dregs of a little, fordid, 

 groveling mind, I do not know what it is. I muft therefore 

 look upon him as the officious friend of Mr Brodie, who inferted 

 the paragraph in the Edinburgh newfpapers, probably without 

 his knowledge or eonfent ; and certainlv that gentleman was 



very 



