branch of Taste, I am more particularly pressed: a correspondent desires to know, whether I was of the party that lately took a survey of Palmyra in the Desert; another, if I have traversed the Holy Land, or visited Mount Calvary. I shall not speak too proudly of my travels: but as my predecessor the Spectator has recommended himself by having made a trip to Grand Cairo to take measure of a pyramid, I assure my reader that I have climbed Mount Vesuvio in the midst of its eruptions, and dug some time under ground in the ruins of Herculaneum. I shall always be solicitous to procure the esteem of so respectable a body as the Connoisseurs: since I cannot but be sensible, could I any way merit it by my labours, how much more important the name of Mr. Town would appear, dignified with the addition of F. R. S. or Member of the Society of Antiquarians. I therefore take this early opportunity of obliging the curious with a letter from a very eminent personage, who, as well as myself, is lately become a Connoisseur, and is known to have gone abroad for no other purpose than to buy pictures. 'The hurry in which I left England must have convinced you how much I was in earnest, when I talked of making a valuable collection of pictures. By my frequent attendance on sales, I already know almost as much of painting, as I do of the funds: and can talk as learnedly of light and shade, figure, proportion, drapery, &c. as of the rise and fall of stocks. I have, however, been very much embarrassed in getting together a collection, suitable to the religion I profess. The famous painters were most of them such bigots to their own way of thinking, that they have scarce left any thing behind them but Holy Families, Dead Christs, and Madonas ; subjects which, to me and my tribe, are odious and abominable. A picture, since it has the property of being the language of all mankind, should never be particular in its subject; but we should paint, as the English are taught to pray, " for all Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics." When I have made the tour of Italy, I will send you a complete list of all my purchases: in the meantime, the following short specimen will enable you to judge of my precautions, in selecting pieces suitable to my character, and not offensive to my principles. The first that I bought was "the Elevation of the Golden Calf." This I shall set up in the Royal Exchange, as a typical representation of myself, to be worshipped by all brokers, insurers, scriveners, and the whole fraternity of stock-jobbers. The second is "the Triumph of Gideon." This I intended, if a late project in favour of our brethren had not miscarried, should have been hung up in St. Stephen's Chapel, as a memorial of our victory over the Uncircumcised. The third and fourth are "Peter denying his Master," and "Judas betraying him for thirty pieces of Silver;" both which I design as presents to our two worthy friends, the B -s of and 'The next which I shall mention to you deserves particular notice; and this is "the Prophet of Nazareth himself, conjuring the Devil into a herd of swine." From this piece, when I return to England, I intend to have a print engraved; being very proper to be had in all Jewish families, as a necessary preservative against pork and Christianity. 'I shall not tire you with a particular detail of some other lesser pieces; such as-the Deluge, in water-colours-the New Jerusalem, in perspective some Ruins of the Temple-a Publican at the Receipt of Custom--and a Samson in miniature. Besides these, I have employed an ingenious artist here to execute a design of my own. It is a picture of Fortune, not standing (as in the common style) upon a kind of a cart-wheel, but on the two wheels of the lottery, with a representation of a net cast over the lesser engrossers of tickets, while a chief manager is breaking his way through the meshes. 'I must not forget to tell you, that I have picked up an infamous portrait, by an English hand, called Shylock; with the following inscription under it, taken, I suppose, from the London Evening Post, or that impudent fool the Gazetteer: " they have disgraced me, and hindered me half a million, laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies;-and what's the reason? I am a Jew." As soon as the parliament is dissolved, you may, expect to see me in England; till when, I am, dear Sir, yours, &c. ******* ****** I shall here subjoin a letter of a very different stamp; which points out to me another walk as a Connoisseur, not less extensive, perhaps, and more agreeable to the modern taste, than that of Virtù. 'SIR, 'To MR. TOWN. 'I suppose Connoisseur is only another word for a knowing one. So write me a few papers in defence of cards, dice, races, and gaming in general; and I will admit you upon the square, introduce you at White's, set you upon the turf the next meeting at Newmarket, and make your fortune at once. If you are the man I take you for, you will be wise, and If do this directly; and then the odds are for you. not, I'll hold you a hundred pounds to a China orange, that your paper is neglected as low and vulgar, and yourself condemned as an unfashionable blockhead. Yours, as you behave, WILL. HAZARD.' T. N° 3. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1754. Suave, mari magno turbantibus æquora ventis, We writers of essays, or (as they are termed) periodical papers, justly claim to ourselves a place among the modern improvers of literature. Neither Bentley nor Burman, nor any other equally sagacious commentator, has been able to discover the least traces of any similar productions among the ancients: except we can suppose, that the history of Thucydides was retailed weekly in sixpenny numbers; that Seneca dealt out his morality every Saturday; or that Tully wrote speeches and philosophical disquisitions, whilst Virgil and Horace clubbed together to furnish the poetry for a Roman magazine. There is a word, indeed, by which we are fond of distinguishing our works, and for which we must confess ourselves indebted to the Latin. Myself, and every petty journalist, affect to dignify our hasty performances by styling them Lucubrations; by which we mean, if we mean any thing, that as the day is too short for our labours, we are obliged to call in the assistance of the night: not to mention the modest insinuation, that our compositions are so correct, that (like the orations of Demosthenes) they may be said to smell of the lamp. We would be understood to follow the directions of the Roman Satirist, to grow pale by the midnight candle ;' though, perhaps, as our own Satirist expresses it, we may be thought Sleepless ourselves, to give our readers sleep. But, as a relief from the fatigue of so many restless hours, we have frequently gone to sleep for the benefit of the public: and surely we, whose labours are confined to a sheet and half, may be indulged in taking a nap now and then, as well as those engaged in longer works; who (according to Horace) are to be excused, if a little drowsiness sometimes creeps in upon them. After this preface, the reader will not be surprised, if I take the liberty to relate a dream of my own. It is usual on these occasions to be lulled to sleep by some book; and most of my brethren pay that compliment to Virgil or Shakspeare: but as I could never discover any opiate qualities in those authors, I chose rather to doze over some modern performance. I must beg to be excused from mentioning particulars, as I would not provoke the resentment of my contemporaries: nobody will imagine that I dipped into any of our modern novels, or took up any of our late tragedies. Let it suffice, that I presently fell fast asleep. I found myself transported in an instant to the shore of an immense sea, covered with innumerable vessels; and though many of them suddenly disappeared every minute, I saw others continually launching forth, and pursuing the same course. The seers of visions, and dreamers of dreams, have their |