56 on mlfcellaneous reading. yan,/\^ 



lity the curious 5 their wit is a relief to the learned, 

 and the most vinegar aspect, or torpid risibility, will 

 relax into a sinile, at the redundancy of genuine hu- 

 mour, so often found in them 5 while the universality 

 of matter becomes an irresistable inducement to all. 



Amongst the works of this kind, newspapers, to the 

 immortal fame of the inventors, lead the way, in point 

 of antiquity, and may be called the original stem, 

 from whence branched out all the literary Ephe- 

 mera of succeeding times. The famous spectators <i^'c. 

 &c. are all lineally descended from the parent stock, 

 and the idea was adopted by all the politer nations. 



Before newspapers were in use, local knowledge was 

 so circumscribed, that few gentlemen knew more of 

 politics, or cotemporary affairs, than what goverment 

 pleased to discover. All wha were not of a studious 

 turn filled up their leisure time with domestic avocations, 

 «r rural sports, while their minds remained wholly un- 

 adorned. Since then, how much are the arts of life, and 

 the taste for enjoying it improved ? 



These maps of science were first published in the second 

 year of Charles II. by some members of the royal soci- 

 ety established in 1662, the oldest in Europe, for 

 the encouragement of natural philosophy. Sir Roger 

 I' Estrange was the first editor, and the first newspaper 

 marked the year 1663, as a memorable epoch in the an- 

 nals of literature 5 succeeding papers contained all the 

 supplementary materials to form the manners and the 

 man j and which first gave that literary priority to Eng- 

 lishmen which they are allowed to this day on the con- 

 tinent. 



Although tliis mode of obtaining knowledge can be 

 strictly called no better then a superficial education, yet 

 if we observe haw nearly it approaches to what is called 



