550 
ftroying one another as.infidels and ene- 
mies «6 God. How zdmable fuch fen- 
timents ina dark and fupe:ftitious age ! 
How happy that native feeling fhould 
thus correct the errors of perverted rea- 
fon ! 
BEER. 
Englifh beer, or porter, is now the 
be in the word. It is one of thofe ar- 
ticles of our home produce and manufac~ 
ture, which we export inthe large quan- 
tities. Between five and fix hundred 
years fince, the cafe was different. Ham 
burg was thea, of all places in Pirape, 
the mof famous for its beer. In the 
middle of the thirteenth century, there 
were in Hamburg nt fewer than five 
hundred and thirty breweries. England, 
Flanders, and ail the kingdoms of the 
North, were fupplied with beer from that 
city. In the fitteenth: century, its beer 
ftill prefirved its reputation, and conti- 
nued to be one of its principal exports, —= 
In the middle of the icventeenth century 
the Kiang of Sweden, as an act of deep jail 
afflictive revenge againit the citizens of 
Hamburg, prohibited the importation cf 
their beer into his dominions. Ooly 
toward the end of that century, did the 
Hamburg trade in ‘this liquor begin to 
decline, becaufe Englith beer and ale be- 
gan to bein moft places preferred. 
From the Britifh Mufeum. 
LAr. Congreve to Mr. Porter. 
Calais, Aug. 1112, O. §. 1700. 
‘ Here is admirable Champagn for 
twelve pence a quart, and as good  Bur- 
gundy for fifteen pence; and yet Ihave 
virtue enough to relolve to leave this place 
to-morrow for St.Ome:” s, where the iri 
wine is half as dear again, and may be 
not quite fo good. Dear neighbcurs, 
Chorles and Jacob, &c. I have, never 
.tailed drinking your healths fince we fiw 
you, nor ever will till we fee you again. 
We had a jong paffage, but delicate wea- 
pe We fet fail from Dover on Satur- 
day morning, four o’cl.ck, and did not 
Jand here till fix the fame eve ning ; nor 
had we arrived even in that time, ifa 
French open boat with oars had not been 
firaggling to wards us, when we were not 
quite half feas over, and rowed “us hither 
ie thence in ‘Sve hours, for the packet- 
‘came not till this morning. When 
ia come to Bruffels, I thal) have more to 
write to you; till then I ain mott humbly 
and pean at your Sy 
WwW. Cele REVE.” 
Extraéts from the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. 
-fiead of bis. 
[Jan.:1, 
“ My humble fervice to my neighbour; 
your mother, Mrs, Arne, Mr. Travers, not 
forgetiing the Alcayde, who, I hope, in my 
abience. may be reconciled to punch. 
‘© Poor Charles is juft writing to Mrs. A. 
and firaining very hardto fend fomething, be- 
fides the ballad, to pleafe her much.” 
To Mr. Porter, at his Houfe in Arundel. 
Jireet, againft the Blue Ball, Loudon. 
To Mrs. Porter. 
“¢ Rotterdam, September 27,1700 
«* T leave you to judge whether Hol- 
land cen be faid to be wanting in gallan. 
ny when it fs cuftomary there to inclofe 
billet-doux toa lady iv a letter to her 
Eon I have not fo much as made 
mention of this to your’s, and if you tell 
firft, let the fin fall upon your head, in- 
For my part, I keep the 
commandments ; I love my neighbour as 
myfelf, and, to avoid coveting my neigh- 
bour’s wife, I defire to be coveted by her, 
which you know is quite another thing, 
About five weeks fince I wrote a very 
paffionate letter to. you ‘from Antwerp, 
which, 1 believe, you never received, for 
juft now it is found carefully put up by 
my man, who has been drunk ever fince. 
I undertand you have not been in the 
countty: I am glad of it; for I fhould 
very much apprehend the effets which 
folitude might have produced, joined with 
the regret which I know you feel for my 
abfence. Take it for granted, that I figh 
extremely. I would have written to the ~ 
Alcayde, but that would make me reflect 
that I was ata dillance from her; which 
is pain I cannot bear. I would have 
written to your mother, but that I have 
changed my religion twice fince I lett 
England, and am at prefent fo un‘ettled, 
that J think it fit to fix, before ldtuieorvdurs 
to convert her to my opinion, which I de- 
fien to do az foon as I know what it Is. — 
I have difcourfed with friars and monks 
of ali orders—with zealots, enthufiatts,: 
and all feétaries of the reformed churches, 
ani I had the bencfit to travel twelve 
jeagues together in Guelderland with a 
wide phanatick, in a waggon, who preach- 
ed to me all the way things not to be 
written. Pray take care that Mr. Ebbut 
has good wine, for I have much to fay 
to you over a bortle under ground; and I 
hope, within three weeks, to fatisfy you, 
that no mn in the face of the earth, or in 
the cellar, is mere, deaf neighbour, 
Your faithful and affectionate 
humble fervant, than 
W. ConGREVE.”’ 
Te. 
