mac or governor, and never afterwards would permit any body elfe to mount him.

7. A foldier at Pondicherry, who was accustomed, whenever he received the portion that came to his fhare, to carry a certain quantity of it to one of these animals, having one day drank rather too freely, and finding himself purfued by the guards, who were going to take him to prison, took refuge under the elephant's body, and fell asleep..

8. In vain did the guard try to force him from this afylum, as the elephant protected him with his trunk. The next morning the foldier recovering from his drunken fit, fhuddered with horror to find himself ftretched under the belly of this huge animal.

9. The elephant, which without doubt perceived the man's embarraffment, careffed him with his trunk, in order to infpire him with courage, and make him understand that he might now depart in fafety.

10. A painter was defirous of drawing the elephant which was kept in the menagerie at Versailles in an uncommon at. titude, which was that of holding his trunk raised up in the air with his mouth open. The painter's boy, in order to keep the animal in this posture, threw fruit into his mouth.

11. But, as the lad frequently deceived him, and made an offer only of throwing him the fruit, he grew angry; and, as if he had known that the painter's intention of drawing him was the cause of the affront that was offered him, instead of revenging himself on the lad, he returned his refentment on the master, and taking up a quantity of water in his trunk, threw it on the paper on which the painter was drawing, and fpoiled it.

SPEECH OF MR. WALPOLE IN THE BRIT. ISH PARLIAMENT IN OPPOSITION TO MR. PITT, LATE EARL OF CHATHAM.

SIR,

H

I WAS unwilling to interrupt the course of this

debate while it was carried on with calmness and decency, by men who do not fuffer the ardor of oppofition to cloud

their reafon, or tranfport them to fuch expreffions as the dignity of this affembly does not admit.

2. I have hitherto deferred to answer the gentleman who declaimed against the bill with fuch fluency of rhetoric, and fuch vehemence of gefture; who charged the advocates for the expedients now propofed, with having no regard to any intereft but their own, and with making laws only to confume paper; and threatened them with the defection of their adherents, and the lofs of their influence, upon this new difcovery of their folly and ignorance.

3. Nor, Sir, do I now anfwer him for any other pur pofe than to remind him how little the clamours of rage, and petulancy of invective, contribute to the purposes for which this affembly is called together; how little the discovery of truth is promoted, and the fecurity of the nation established by pompous diction and theatrical emotions.

4. Formidable founds and furious declamations, confi. dent affertions, and lofty periods, may affect the young and unexperienced; and perhaps the gentleman may have con tracted his habits of oratory by converfing more with thofe of his own age, than with fuch as have had more opportu nities of acquiring knowledge, and more fuccefsful methods of communicating their fentiments.

5. If the heat of his temper, Sir, would fuffer him to attend to those whofe age and long acquaintance with bu finefs give them an indifputable right to deference and fuperiority, he would learn, in time, to reafon rather than declaim, and to prefer juftnefs of argument, and an accurate knowledge of facts, to founding epithets and fplendid fuperlatives, which may difturb the imagination for a moment, but leave no lafting impreffion on the mind.

6. He will learn, Sir, that to accufe and prove are very different, and that reproaches, unfupported by evidence, affect only the character of him who utters them. Excur fions of fancy and flights of oratory are indeed pardonable in young men, but in no other; and it would furely con tribute more, even to the purpofe for which fome gentlemen appear to fpeak; that of depreciating the conduct of the adminiftration, to prove the inconveniences and injuftice of this bill, than barely to affert them, with whatever magnificence of language or appearance of zeal, honefty, or compaflion.

their reafon, or tranfport them to fuch expreffions as the dignity of this affembly does not admit.

2. I have hitherto deferred to anfwer the gentleman who declaimed against the bill with fuch fluency of rhetoric, and fuch vehemence of gefture; who charged the advocates for the expedients now propofed, with having no regard to any interest but their own, and with making laws only to confume paper; and threatened them with the defection of their adherents, and the lofs of their influence, upon this new difcovery of their folly and ignorance.

3. Nor, Sir, do I now answer him for any other pur. pose than to remind him how little the clamours of rage, and petulancy of invective, contribute to the purposes for which this affembly is called together; how little the difcovery of truth is promoted, and the fecurity of the nation established by pompous diction and theatrical emotions.

4. Formidable founds and furious declamations, confi dent affertions, and lofty periods, may affect the young and unexperienced; and perhaps the gentleman may have contracted his habits of oratory by converfing more with those of his own age, than with fuch as have had more opportu nities of acquiring knowledge, and more fuccessful methods of communicating their fentiments.

5. If the heat of his temper, Sir, would fuffer him to attend to thofe whofe age and long acquaintance with bu finefs give them an indifputable right to deference and fuperiority, he would learn, in time, to reafon rather than declaim, and to prefer juftnefs of argument, and an accurate knowledge of facts, to founding epithets and splendid fuperlatives, which may disturb the imagination for a moment, but leave no lasting impreffion on the mind.

6. He will learn, Sir, that to accufe and prove are very different, and that reproaches, unfupported by evidence, affect only the character of him who utters them. Excur fions of fancy and flights of oratory are indeed pardonable in young men, but in no other; and it would furely con, tribute more, even to the purpose for which fome gentle. men appear to fpeak; that of depreciating the conduct of the administration, to prove the inconveniences and injustice of this bill, than barely to affert them, with whatever magnificence of language or appearance of zeal, honefty, or compaflion.

MR.

MR. PITT'S ANSWER TO THE FORE

GOING.

SIR,

THE atrocious crime of being a young man, which the honorable gentleman has, with fuch fpirit and decency, charged upon me, I fhall neither attempt to palliate nor deny; but content myself with wifhing, that I may be one of those whofe follies may ceafe with their youth, and not of that number who are ignorant in spite of experience.

2. Whether youth can be imputed to any man as a reproach, I will not, Sir, affume the province of determining; but furely age may become juftly contemptible, if the opportunities which it brings have paffed away without improvement, and vice appears to prevail, when the paffions have fubfided.

3. The wretch, who, after having feen the confequences of a thousand errors, continues ftill to blunder, and whofe age has only added obftinacy to ftupidity, is furely the object of either abhorrence or contempt, and deferves not that his grey head fhould fecure him from infult.

4. Much more, Sir, is he to be abhorred, who, as he has advanced in age, has receded from virtue, and becomes more wicked with lefs temptations; who prostitutes himself for money which he cannot enjoy, and spends the remains of his life in the ruin of his country.

5. But youth, Sir, is not my only crime; I have been accused of acting a theatrical part. A theatrical part may either imply fome peculiarities of gefture, or a diffimulation of my real fentiments, and an adoption of the opin ions and language of another man.

6. In the first fenfe, Sir, the charge is too trifling to be confuted, and deferves only to be mentioned that it may be defpifed. I am at liberty, like every other man, to use my own language; and though I may perhaps have fome ambition to please this gentleman, I fhall not lay myself under any restraint, not very folicitously copy his diction or his mien, however matured by age, or modelled by experience.