1803. J 
Perhaps fome of your curious readers 
can inform us, who was the author of the 
punning complimyntary epigram on. Sir 
Thomas, which was, however, founded 
-ona faét. Ithas been attributed to Lord 
Bacon: We tea . 
When More fome time had Chancellor been, 
“ No more Tuité did remain; Hen ese: 
The fame will never more we feen 
Tul More be there again, 
It would bea happy thing for this coun- 
try, if the fame compliment could be paid 
to later chancellors, though it mult readi- 
ly be admitted, that n-ver was more unre- 
initting jndultry and experience, joined to 
ability, exerted to further this great end, 
than by the prefent Chancellor. » 
Although the irritable and delicate 
Shenftone would thank his God, that his 
name admitted of no {uch degrading ufe 
as that to which I allude; yet he was by 
no means infenfible to the temporary mer- 
riment produced by a good pun, as an anec- 
dote, which was related to me by one of 
the parties, will prove ; 
Mr. B , who was intimate with 
Shenitone, one day took his friend Dr. 
S$ to fée the Leafowes. After 
adiniring the tafteful difpofition of ‘the 
grounds, Mr. Shenftone conduéted them 
into the houf: to take fome refrefhment, 
which was prepared in a room, painted to 
imitate trellis-work, the rails of which 
appeared to be overhung, in the’ different 
eompa! ments, with various trees in full 
foliage. ‘* How admirabl Ae room is 
fitted up!’ exclaimed ‘Dr. ‘ y 
« Thofe furely cannot be erifclal (point- > 
ing to one of the painted walls) :—they 
mult be real baxel-nuts’?—*s WatL- 
wus, if you pleate,”’ ‘repli ed Mr. B—— 
drily. For once the fombre countenance 
of Shenftone difappeared, and, after vavi- 
ous efforts to fuppref3 a fmile, he'at length 
left the room in’a complete laugh; and 
was not lets pleafed, on his return, at Dr. 
§ ’s elegantly concluding the con- 
_ verfation, by faying, se Whatever the nuts 
may be, this I am {ure of, that I may here 
exciaimy, with Voltaire" Li; my eft jamais 
ye anne Sans Alsi a wn shocacie ae lans 
ears,” 
Ee 
For the Monthly “Magazine, 
DEFENCE OF FORESTALLING. 
HANKS to Pr ovidenge, the return 
of plenty has put a {top to the per- 
fecution of Foreftallers, with an occafion- 
al exception on the banks of the Liffy, as 
witchcraft has retired to the coat of 
Guinea. It is only when they are fretted 
Defence of the Letters of Foreftalling: 1387 
by hunger and high price, that confu- 
mers quarrel with their friends ; as Ihave 
feen fportimen of the belt good humours 
at other times, find fault with all that is 
done when the féent fails. The weather 
alone is to blame in both cafes. 
Hoping that it will be long before a 
cafe will occur for difcuffion, I will briefly 
notice the remarks of your Correlpondent 
S. although they have, in fact, been al- 
ready obviated ‘in for mer : Numbers of your 
Magazine. 
S. appears to agree with me, that if the 
people who fhall | buy one-half of a com- 
modity in its way to market, buy for their 
own confumption, and, of courfe, abfent 
themfelves from the market, no harm is 
done. Happy fhould I be, if all were of 
this opinion. It would be a great point 
gained ; butit is not long fince I was told 
by a fpectator, that a fhopkeeper in Pad- 
dington attempted, by threats of an in- 
formation, to prevent a ftablekeeper from 
buying a load of ftraw, which, if not fold 
before, would have been carried to St. 
James’s Market. The ‘hopkeeper thought, 
no doubt, that he was fupporting the 
laws, and promoting the good, of his 
country, when he would compel the fia- 
blekeeper, carter, horfes, waggon, and 
ftraw, to go two miles, and back again, 
tor nothing. They who approve of this 
proceeding fhould tell us, how tar down 
the road the fin of forefialling reaches ; 
and whether or not a‘ farmer’s next-door 
neighbour may legally buy his itraw ? 
But, let us fappofe with S. that the 
buyers have bought to fell again; it will 
be their intereit, ond their aim, as he truly 
fays, to raife the price of the commodity. 
As foon as they have bought, they will’ 
be precifely in the. fituation of them 
from whom they bought ; and the way in 
which they are fuppoled to raife the price 
is by keeping’ back what they have pur- 
chaled—the cafe, thus far, has already 
been tully confidered. 
But, let us farther fuppofe with S. that 
the perfons who. have bought are deep 
enough to coneeal that they are now be- 
come fellers, and go into the market un- 
der their oviginal character, to {well the 
tide of buyers. “The confequence will 
undoubtedly be, and I have all along al- 
lowed, that the price, will rife: but the 
price of what? Not the price of that 
part of the commodity which is kept 
back for the purpofe of making the fup- 
plies appear {mall, but the price of ea 
part which is brought to the” market. 
The twenty of forty buyers, that contti- 
tute a market, may, by purchafing and 
keeping 
— 
