98 
retired farther into the morning, and 
breakfatt was obliged to comply with 
exifting circumftances. . A public break- 
fa generally begins at the ancient dining 
hour, three, and concludes when the vul- 
gar are beginning to fpend the evening. 
it cannot be fuppofed, indeed, that all 
the world of fafhion are punétual to tnefe 
hours. In that world, as in other worlds, 
there are flight differences of opinion, and, 
it may occalionally happen that one party 
has travelled over the firft courfe, before 
another has fat down. For it muft be 
remarked, that befides the latenefs of the 
hour, there is another fingularity attached 
to the manners of the great; which is, 
that whatever hour may be appointed, it 
fall not be kept. This elevates them to 
the rank of philofophers, by an extraor- 
dinary exertion of patience, and likewile 
by quietly fubmitting to have their din- 
ner {poiled; and the hoftefs, if the pride 
herfelf on her entertainments, put into a 
very genteel ftate of ill-humour. With 
thefe enjoyments the vulgar are not ac- 
quainted. 
It is none of ‘the fmalleft advantages, 
however, arifing from this proud diftinc- 
tion, that it is not wholly out of the reach 
of the poor and needy, if they chufe to 
imitate it; and if to appear great and 
Zrand it is merely neceflary to be able to 
fay, at eignt or nine o’clock in the even- 
ing, that they have not dined, I am con- 
vinced a great many of his majefiy’s fub- 
jects may aver it with great truth. Ft is 
alfo very. convenient for that numerous 
clafs, whofe ftudy is to keep up appear- 
ances, that this may be done at a rate fo 
convenient for the pocket as to make a 
late dinner atone for the want of a fupper. 
Betides, perfons of this clafs have lately - 
difcovered that ifuppers are unwhole- 
fome ! 
It is almoft impoflible for the great to 
eftablith any diftingtions that the little 
will not fomehow -contrive to imitate ; 
and he would deferve wel! of his country 
who could contrive impaffable boundaries 
between parties who certainly were never 
intended to live tegether: but this has 
hitherto been attempted in vain. The 
meaneft of the populace can get druzk as a 
Jord; and the inhabitants of Whitechape! 
may, if they pleafe, dine as late as thofe 
ef Grofvenor-fguare, 2nd adjourn their 
fupper till next day with perfect grace. 
Upca the whole, however, it appears to 
me, that, by fome appointment of the in- 
wifible goddefs of fathion, dizwer has bec 
for many years performing a great revo- 
On a Hebrew Elegy. 
[ Aug. 
lution round the twenty-four hours ; and, 
although I do not pretend to much of 2 
prophetical fpirit, I fhould not be fur- 
prized if, in the courfe of this progrefs, it 
were again to come round to one or two 
o'clock. The velocity with which it has 
lately been impelled, induces me to think 
that it will not be long ere this take place. 
At that happy period, perhaps, we fhall 
fee the vulgar'as late as the great are 
now: the great only will have the fingu- 
lar felicity to complete the bufinefs of a 
day within the day itfelf. Many difputes 
have lately been carried on, in your’s and 
other publications, refpeCting the. con- 
clufion of the prefent century : but, what- 
ever period may be fixed tor that event, 
it is certain that, if we go on pushing our 
dinner into the night-feafon, it will be in 
the power of fome fafhiénable party in 
St. James s parith to fay, that they fat 
down to the bottle at eleven o’clock, and 
continued at it for part of two centuries. 
I am, fir, with refpect, your humble 
fervant, €: 
To the Editor of the Mowihly Magazine. 
SIR, 
ee page 21, line 12, of your laft Maga- 
zine, inftead of lexgth we fhould read 
circumference. The length of the ifland 
of Corfu is under 40 miles. Page 34, 
line 48, Vaico Lobeira was author of the 
Spanifh romance of «* Amadis de Gaula,” 
but the French lay claim to the original 
Amadis, which muft, neverthelefs, be 
taken cum grano falis. ‘The only autho- 
rity in {upport of this claim that I have 
yet been able to find, is the affertion made 
by D’Herberay, the French tranflator 
from the Spanith copy, that he had feen a 
fragment of it written in the old Picard 
language., What this Picard language 
was, or where any {pecimens of it are now 
to be found, would be a matter of fome 
curiofity to afcertain. 
Page 36, line 7, Qr. If the French 
book called Amecdotes des Rues, be not 
Mont. Saintfoix’s entertaining work en- 
titled Efais Hiftoriques fur Paris, 5 tem, 
1766, 12mo. 
Auguft 14, 1798. D. 
Cn Ea cee 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
CoNCERNING A HEBREW ELEGY- 
T the 13th verfe of the liid chapter 
of Ifiah begias a very fine and 
pathetic elegy, which extends through 
the wholé luid chapter, and terminates 
with it, “Some commentator, Grotius 
Cyrely, 
