rents and guardians, and travelling under the direction of governors recommended by Oxford, Aberdeen and Glafgow. There is a fourth class, but their number is so fmall that they would not deserve a distinction, was it not neceffary in a work of this nature to obférvé the greatest precision and nicety, to avoid a confufion of character. And these men I speak of, are fuch as cross the feas and fojourn in a land of strangers with a view of saving money for various reasons and upon various pretences: but as they might also save themselves and others a great deal of unnecessary trouble by saving their money at home and as their reafons for travelling are the least complex of any other species of emigrants, I shall distinguish these gentlemen by the name of Simple Travellers. Thus the whole circle of travellers may be re. duced to the following Heads, The delinquent and felonious Traveller, The The simple Traveller, And last of all (if you please) (meaning thereby myself) who have travell'd, and of which I am now fitting down to give an account as much out of Neceffity, and the besoin de voyager, as any one in the class. I am well aware, at the same time, as both my travels and observations will be altogether of a different caft from any of my fore-runners; that I might have insisted upon a whole nitch entirely to myselfbut I should break in upon the confines of the Vain Traveller, in wishing to draw attention towards me, till I have fome better grounds for it, than the mere Novelty of my Vehicle. It is fufficient for my reader, if he has been a traveller himself, that with study and reflection hereupon he may be able to determine his own place and rank in the catalogue - it will be one step towards knowing himself; as it is great odds, but he retains some tincture and resemblance, of what he imbibed or carried out, to the present hour. The man who first transplanted the grape of Burgundy to the Cape of Good Hope (observe he was a Dutch man) never dreamt of drinking the same wine at the Cape, that the same grape produced upon B he was too the French mountains upon phlegmatic for that - but undoubtedly he expected to drink some fort of vinous liquor; but whether good, bad, or indifferent he knew enough of this world to know, that it did not depend upon his choice, but that what is generally called chance was to decide his fuccess: however, he hoped for the best; and in these hopes, by an intemperate confidence in the fortitude of his head, and the depth of his difcretion, Mynheer might poffibly overset both in his new vineyard; and by discovering his nakedness, become a laughingstock to his people. Even so it fares with the poor Traveller, failing and posting through the politer kingdoms of the globe in pursuit of knowledge and improvements. Knowledge and improvements are to be got by failing and posting for that purpose; but whether ufeful knowledge and real improvements, is all a lottery and even where the adventurer is successful, the acquired stock must be used with caution and fobriety to turn to any profit but as the chances run prodigiously the other way both as to the acquifition and application, I am of opinion, That a man would act as wifely, if he could prevail upon himself, to live contented without foreign knowledge or foreign improvements, especially if he lives in a country that has no absolute want of either and indeed, much grief of heart has it oft and many a time cost me, when I have observed how many a foul step the inquifitive Traveller has measured to see sights and look into discoveries; all which, as Sancho Pança faid to Don Quixote, they might have seen dry-shod at home. It is an age so full of light, that there is scarce a country or corner of Europe whose beams are not crossed and interchanged with others - Knowledge in most of its branches, and in most affairs, is like mufic in an Italian street, whereof those may partake, who pay nothing - But there is no nation under heaven and God is my record, (before whose tribunal I must one day come and give an account of this work) - that I do not speak it vauntingly But there is no nation under heaven abounding with more variety of learning - where the sciences may be more fitly woo'd, or more furely won than here - where art is encouraged, and will fo foon rife high - where Nature (take her all together) has fo little to answer for and, to close all, where there is more wit and variety of character to feed the mind with - Where then, my dear countrymen, are you going - We are only looking at this chaise, said they Your most obedient fervant, said I, skipping out of it, and pulling off my hat - We were wondering, faid one of them, who, I found, was an inquifitive traveller- what could occasion its motion. 'Twas B2 'Twas the agitation, faid 1 coolly, of writing a preface I never heard, faid the other, who was a fimple traveller, of a preface wrote in a Defobligeant. It would have been better, said I, in a Vis à Vis. As an English man does not travel to fes English men, I retired to my room. I perceived that fomething darken'd the passage more than myself, as I stepp'd along it to my room; it was effectually Monf. Dessein, the master of the hôtel, who had just return'd from vespers, and, with his hat under his arm, was most complaifantly following me, to put me in mind of my wants. I had wrote myself pretty well out of conceit with the Defobligeant; and Monf. Dessein speaking of it, with a shrug, as if it would no way fuit me, it immediately struck my fancy that it belong'd to some innocent traveller, who, on his return home, had left it to Monf. Dessein's honour to make the most of. Four months had elapsed since it had finish'd its career of Europe in the corner of Monf. Dessein's coachyard; and having fallied out from thence but a vampt-up business |