seemed sensible of his error, and had asked pardon, the lady
would permit him to put his hat on again if he chose it. This he

refused with some degree of surliness, and failed not to convince
me that, if I should condescend to become more gentle, he would

soon grow more rude. I now renewed a reflection, which I have
often seen occasion to make, that there is nothing so incongruous

in nature as any kind of power with lowness of mind and of
ability, and that there is nothing more deplorable than the want

of truth in the whimsical notion of Plato, who tells us that
"Saturn, well knowing the state of human affairs, gave us kings

and rulers, not of human but divine original; for, as we make not
shepherds of sheep, nor oxherds of oxen, nor goatherds of goats,

but place some of our own kind over all as being better and
fitter to govern them; in the same manner were demons by the

divine love set over us as a race of beings of a superior order
to men, and who, with great ease to themselves, might regulate

our affairs and establish peace, modesty, freedom, and justice,
and, totally destroying all sedition, might complete the

happiness of the human race. So far, at least, may even now be
said with truth, that in all states which are under the

government of mere man, without any divineassistance, there is
nothing but labor and misery to be found. From what I have said,

therefore, we may at least learn, with our utmost endeavors, to
imitate the Saturnian institution; borrowing all assistance from

our immortal part, while we pay to this the strictest obedience,
we should form both our private economy and public policy from

its dictates. By this dispensation of our immortal minds we are
to establish a law and to call it by that name. But if any

government be in the hands of a single person, of the few, or of
the many, and such governor or governors shall abandon himself or

themselves to the unbridled pursuit of the wildest pleasures or
desires, unable to restrain any passion, but possessed with an

insatiable bad disease; if such shall attempt to govern, and at
the same time to trample on all laws, there can be no means of

preservation left for the wretched people." Plato de Leg., lib.
iv. p. 713, c. 714, edit. Serrani.

It is true that Plato is here treating of the highest or
sovereign power in a state, but it is as true that his

observations are general and may be applied to all inferior
powers; and, indeed, every subordinate degree is immediately

derived from the highest; and, as it is equally protected by the
same force and sanctified by the same authority, is alike

dangerous to the well-being of the subject. Of all powers,
perhaps, there is none so sanctified and protected as this which

is under our present consideration. So numerous, indeed, and
strong, are the sanctions given to it by many acts of parliament,

that, having once established the laws of customs on merchandise,
it seems to have been the sole view of the legislature to

strengthen the hands and to protect the persons of the officers
who became established by those laws, many of whom are so far

from bearing any resemblance to the Saturnian institution, and to
be chosen from a degree of beings superior to the rest of human

race, that they sometimes seem industriously picked out of the
lowest and vilest orders of mankind. There is, indeed, nothing,

so useful to man in general, nor so beneficial to particular
societies and individuals, as trade. This is that alma mater at

whose plentiful breast all mankind are nourished. It is true,
like other parents, she is not always equally indulgent to all

her children, but, though she gives to her favorites a vast
proportion of redundancy and superfluity, there are very few whom

she refuses to supply with the conveniences, and none with the
necessaries, of life.

Such a benefactress as this must naturally be beloved by mankind
in general; it would be wonderful, therefore, if her interest was

not considered by them, and protected from the fraud and violence
of some of her rebellious offspring, who, coveting more than

their share or more than she thinks proper to allow them, are
daily employed in meditating mischief against her, and in

endeavoring to steal from their brethren those shares which this
great alma mater had allowed them.

At length our governor came on board, and about six in the
evening we weighed anchor, and fell down to the Nore, whither our

passage was extremely pleasant, the evening being very
delightful, the moon just past the full, and both wind and tide

favorable to us.
Tuesday, July 2.--This morning we again set sail, under all the

advantages we had enjoyed the evening before. This day we left
the shore of Essex and coasted along Kent, passing by the

pleasant island of Thanet, which is an island, and that of
Sheppy, which is not an island, and about three o 'clock, the

wind being now full in our teeth, we came to an anchor in the
Downs, within two miles of Deal.--My wife, having suffered

intolerable pain from her tooth, again renewed her resolution of
having it drawn, and another surgeon was sent for from Deal, but

with no better success than the former. He likewise declined the
operation, for the same reason which had been assigned by the

former: however, such was her resolution, backed with pain, that
he was obliged to make the attempt, which concluded more in honor

of his judgment than of his operation; for, after having put my
poor wife to inexpressible torment, he was obliged to leave her

tooth in statu quo; and she had now the comfortable prospect of a
long fit of pain, which might have lasted her whole voyage,

without any possibility of relief. In these pleasing sensations,
of which I had my just share, nature, overcome with fatigue,

about eight in the evening resigned her to rest--a circumstance
which would have given me some happiness, could I have known how

to employ those spirits which were raised by it; but,
unfortunately for me, I was left in a disposition of enjoying an

agreeable hour without the assistance of a companion, which has
always appeared to me necessary to such enjoyment; my daughter

and her companion were both retired sea-sick to bed; the other
passengers were a rude school-boy of fourteen years old and an

illiterate Portuguese friar, who understood no language but his
own, in which I had not the least smattering. The captain was

the only person left in whose conversation I might indulge
myself; but unluckily, besides a total ignorance of everything in

the world but a ship, he had the misfortune of being so deaf,
that to make him hear, I will not say understand, my words, I

must run the risk of conveying them to the ears of my wife, who,
though in another room (called, I think, the state-room--being,

indeed, a most statelyapartment, capable of containing one human
body in length, if not very tall, and three bodies in breadth),

lay asleep within a yard of me. In this situation necessity and
choice were one and the same thing; the captain and I sat down

together to a small bowl of punch, over which we both soon fell
fast asleep, and so concluded the evening.

Wednesday, July 3.--This morning I awaked at four o'clock for my
distemper seldom suffered me to sleep later. I presently got up,

and had the pleasure of enjoying the sight of a tempestuous sea
for four hours before the captain was stirring; for he loved to

indulge himself in morning slumbers, which were attended with a
wind-music, much more agreeable to the performers than to the

hearers, especially such as have, as I had, the privilege of
sitting in the orchestra. At eight o 'clock the captain rose,

and sent his boat on shore. I ordered my man likewise to go in
it, as my distemper was not of that kind which entirely deprives

us of appetite. Now, though the captain had well victualled his
ship with all manner of salt provisions for the voyage, and had

added great quantities of fresh stores, particularly of
vegetables, at Gravesend, such as beans and peas, which had been

on board only two days, and had possibly not been gathered above
two more, I apprehended I could provide better for myself at Deal

than the ship's ordinary seemed to promise. I accordingly sent
for fresh provisions of all kinds from the shore, in order to put

off the evil day of starving as long as possible. My man