astonishing to say, even dreams he is a man of genius; a notion that proves the justness of one of Swift's observations—"That there is no proposition so absurd, but that it will be believed by some of mankind." The Doctor is the more enraged against Hamilton, because he is enraged against his own situation. The world in general, or at least that part of it which happens to know any thing of Scribble and his writings, have unfortunately found out that he is a mere plodding literary blockhead. The booksellers know this opinion, and none of them now give him any employment, except one or two, who have some compassion on him, since they conceived him in his labours an indefatigable drudge. They allow him something for his subsistence, from the same generous motives which induce a liberal farmer to allow to his exhausted donkies, the run of some of his poorer fields, and an ass can feed
