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HAD never heard the remark made by any one in my life, except by one; and who that was, will probably come out in this chapter; so that being pretty much unprepossessed, there must have been grounds for what ftruck me the moment I caft my eyes over the parterre -and that was, the unaccountable sport of nature in forming such numbers of dwarfs No doubt she sports at certain times in almost every corner of the world; but in Paris, there is no end to her amusements-The goddess seems almost as merry as she is wife.

As I carried my idea out of the opera comique with me, I measured every body

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body I faw walking in the ftreets by itMelancholy application! especially where the fize was extremely little the face extremely dark-the eyes quick-the nofe long-the teeth white-the jaw prominent to fee so many miferables, by force of accidents driven out of their own proper class into the very verge of another, which it gives me pain to write down-every third man a pigmy! some by ricketty heads and hump backs -others by bandy legs-a third set arrefted by the hand of Nature in the fixth and seventh years of their growth-a fourth, in their perfect and natural ftate, like dwarf apple-trees; from the first rudiments and stamina of their existence, never meant to grow higher.

A medical traveller might say, 'tis owing to undue, bandages-a fplenetic one, to want of air and an inquifitive

traveller,

traveller, to fortify the system, may meafure the height of their houses-the narrowness of their streets, and in how few feet square in the fixth and seventh stories fuch numbers of the Bourgoifie eat and fleep together; but I remember, Mr. Shandy the elder, who accounted for nothing like any body else, in speaking one evening of these matters, averred, that children, like other animals, might be increased almost to any fize, provided they came right into the world; but the misery was, the citizens of Paris were so coop'd up, that they had not actually room enough to get themI did not call it getting any thing, faid he-'tis getting nothing-Nay, continued he, rifing in his argument, 'tis getting worfe than nothing, when all you have got, after twenty or five and twenty years of the tenderest care and most

nutritious aliment bestowed upon it, shall

not

not at last be as high as my leg. Now, Mftr. Shandy being very short, there could be nothing more faid upon it.

As this is not a work of reasoning, I leave the solution as I found it, and content myself with the truth only of the remark, which is verified in every lane and by-lane of Paris. I was walking down that which leads from the Carousal to the Palais Royal, and obferving a little boy in some distress at the fide of the gutter, which ran down the middle of it, I took hold of his hand, and help'd him over. Upon turning up his face to look at him after, I perceived he was about forty-Never mind, faid I; fome good body will do as much for me when I am ninety.

I feel some little principles within me, which incline me to be merciful towards

this poor blighted part of my species, who have neither fize or strength to get on in the world-I cannot bear to see one of them trod upon; and had scarce got feated beside my old French officer, ere the disgust was exercised, by seeing the very thing happen under the box we fat in.

At the end of the orchestra, and betwixt that and the first side-box there is a small esplanade left, where, when the house is full, numbers of all ranks take sanctuary. Though you stand, as in the parterre, you pay the same price as in the orchestra. A poor defenceless being of this order had got thrust some how or other into this luckless placethe night was hot, and he was furrounded by beings two feet and a half higher than himself. The dwarf fuffered inexpressibly on all fides; but the thing

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