x800.] "State of Manners, &Fc. of the Metropolis of England. 
Arssrocratic Democrat! He pre- 
fents, in his own perfon, all the pride of 
anceftry, all the pomp of wealth and titles ; 
at the fame time that he affeéts a love of 
equality, and a contempt for the adventi- 
tious circumftances of birth and fortune. 
At his table perfons of inferior rank are : 
frequently invited. The noble hoft talks 
loudly of the rights of mankind; extols 
the blefling of univerfal liberty; com- 
mends equality as the unbounded fource 
of every earthly bleffing ; and ridicules the 
diftin&tions which our anceftors beftowed 
en lineage and perfonal importance. At 
the fame moment, his board is furrounded 
with liveried lacqueys; his plate, furnifure, 
and linen emblazoned with coronets; his 
dependents pay him the moft obfequious 
homage, and even his neareft relatives per- 
petually addrefs him by the title of ** your 
grace! my lord, or, your lordfhip!”" 
- Does fuch a perfonage mingle with the 
inferior claffes of fociety? Does he confi- 
der the opulent man of commerce, or the 
untitled man of letters, as his equal? Does 
he in public require no marked refpect ; 
im private exact no homage? Does he live 
like his fellow-citizens? affociate with 
humble worth; promote independence of 
mind, by difpenfing with the ceremonies 
and forms of adulation? No! He is ftill 
the Nopie! the Superior! the man of 
Rank! while thofe who feed at his board, 
er are honoured with his confidence, are 
taught to confider him as the patron, not 
the friend; as the protector, not the 
ailociate. ~ 
If aman of the lefs exalted claffes of fo- 
ciety meets the ArisrocraTic Demo- 
CRAT in the public fireets, he is coldly 
faluted, or, perhaps, wilfully unfeen; 
becaufe his grace, or my Jord, is then en- 
gaged in converfation with men of his own 
rank and perfonal importance. When he 
invites his miftaken difciples to partake of 
the feftivities of his table, he makes a 
prudent felection ; and does not mix the 
convenient fatellite with the contemporary 
meteor in the political hemifphere. In 
public he is inacceffible ; for he fits in the 
higher circles, and with a fullen fuperio- 
rity looks down upon thofe men whole 
active powers of thought are the mere tools 
neceflarily employed in raifing the trem- 
bling fabric of his popularity. When he 
retires to meditate on the humiliations of 
a difappointed ambition, to his villa or to 
the princely palace of his anceftors, does 
he there receive, confult, or affociate with 
men of lefs exalted rank ? Does he, with 
the patience of SocraTeEs, or the conti- 
nence of Scipio, pals a life of philofo- 
219 
phical urbanity ? No! he there confines’ 
his fociety to high-born and _high- 
thoughted affociates; he does not know 
the middling order of the people: he fhuts 
himfelf up from thofe machines which he 
has unfuccefsfully fet in motion, and be- 
comes an apoftate from the very~idols 
which he hinafelf created. 
An ArisTocratic Democrat does 
not fuffer his wife or daughters, or any of 
the female branches of ‘his family, to affo- 
ciate with women of inferior rank. He 
profeffes an enthufiaftic adoration for ta- 
lents ; but he has fcarcely a man of letters 
in the long catalogue of his intimate con- 
nections. It is true he permits the indi- 
gent author to dedicate his works to him ; 
and fancies himfelf the Mz@cenas of the 
age ; but he expeéts to fee his own por- 
trait drawn with the moft flattering pane-. 
gyric; and repays the facrifice which ne- 
ceflity, or the deceiver, hope, exaéts from 
fuffering genius, by a letter of ceremoni- 
ous thanks, or a pecuniary acknowledg~ 
ment, conveyed with all the unfeeling fri- 
gidity of practifed oftentation ! 
The nobility of Engiand, of late years, 
both male and female, evince their con- 
{cioufnefs of the inferiority which is at- 
tached to birth, when placed in compari- 
fon with talents, by their frequent at- 
tempts in the paths of literature: the late 
Lord Orford was one of the firft to fet this 
honorable example; which has been fol- 
lowed by many perfons, whom be would 
denominate NOBLE auTHORS. ‘The 
Earl of Carlifle has written and_ printed 
a tragedy ; the Duchefs of Devonfhire has 
_publithed fome very pleafing poetical com- 
pofitions: and the witty colleétion of 
PrRoBATIONARY ODEs, which made 
their appearance fome years fince, con- 
tained the playful and excellent produc 
tions of feveral perfons whofe names de- 
ferve honourable mention in a more di- 
ftinguifhed page, than that of a Court Ca- 
lendar. Lady Manners has alfo publithed 
a volume of pretty verfes; and to the 
lively pen of Lady Wallace * the town has 
frequently been indebted for amufement. 
Though impartial criticifm cannot place 
thefe produétions in the very higheft ranks 
of literature ; they ftill demand the meed 
of praife, bécaufe they are the offspring 
of an honourable emulation. 
It is fingular that, in an age when lite- 
rature and the arts are fo generally culti-_ 
vated, when books are known to enlight= 
en all claffes of the people, authors of ac- 
knowledged celebrity fheuld fo rarely-min- 

* Sifter to the Duchefs of Gordon. 
Ff2 
gle 
