34 



war they are more trodden ; but, even then, 

 the bufy adivity of the place occurs only at 

 intervals, as when a fleet comes in, or is about 

 to fail : at which periods the town becomes 

 all crowd and hurry, for a few days, and then 

 fuddenly reverts to a languid intermifSon of 

 dullnefs and inadivity. ^ ^ 



The rent of houfes and apartments — the 

 price of provifions, &c. differ very much in 

 times of peace and of war. Indeed, we are 

 told that the houfes, and lodgings, have their 

 war price, and their peace price, diftlndly 

 fixed. Viewing its prefent extravagance, if 

 Portfmouth (hould be, proportionally, cheap 

 in time of peace, as it is dear in war, 

 it might ferve as a place of retirement for 

 our prodigals, and render unnecefTary their 

 tours of retrenchment to the mountains of 

 Wales, or of S witzerland : — and, perhaps, 

 there are few places that might fooner bring 

 them to fober reflediqn ; for it is lifelefs and 

 infipid as the moft forlorn might defire, and 

 would feem well calculated to temper the 

 mind into the gloomy fedatenefs of peni- 

 tence. - 



