oasted wisdom, I appeal to the heart of
any Toast in town whether she would not think the lutenist
preferable to the statesman."

The general tone of "The Tatler," is that of a fashionable London paper,
and it often notices the difference of thought in town and country. This
distinction is much less now than in his day, before the time of
railways, and when the country gentlemen, instead of having houses in
London, betook themselves for the gay season to their county towns.

"I was this evening representing a complaint sent me out of the
country by Emilia. She says, her neighbours there have so little
sense of what a refined lady of the town is, that she who was a
celebrated wit in London, is in that dull part of the world in so
little esteem that they call her in their base style a tongue-pad.
Old Truepenny bid me advise her to keep her wit until she comes to
town again, and admonish her that both wit and breeding are local;
for a fine court lady is as awkward among country wives, as one of
them would appear in a drawing-room."

Again:--

"I must beg pardon of my readers that, for this time I have, I
fear, huddled up my discourse, having been very busy in helping an
old friend out of town. He has a very good estate and is a man of
wit; but he has been three years absent from town, and cannot bear
a jest; for which I have with some pains convinced him that he can
no more live here than if he were a downright bankrupt. He was so
fond of dear London that he began to fret, only inwardly; but being
unable to laugh and be laughed at, I took a place in the Northern
coach for him and his family; and hope he has got to-night safe
from all sneerers in his own parlour.

"To know what a Toast is in the country gives as much perplexity as
she herself does in town; and indeed the learned differ very much
upon the original of this word, and the acceptation of it among the
moderns; however, it is agreed to have a cheerful and joyous
import. A toast in a cold morning, heightened by nutmeg, and
sweetened with sugar, has for many ages been given to our rural
dispensers of justice before they entered upon causes, and has been
of great politic use to take off the severity of their sentences;
but has indeed been remarkable for one ill effect, that it inclines
those who use it immoder