N° 38 .
THE GUARDIAN:
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has been long wholly engroſſed by well -dreſt beaux , and men of ſenſe have given up all
pre
tence to it. The higheſt any of them contend for is the character of “ a pretty gentleman ;' for here the dreſs may be more careleſs, and ſome wit is thought neceſſary ; whereas a fine gen tleman is not obliged to converſe further than
the offering his ſnuff-box round the room . How ever, the pretty gentleman muſt have his airs :
and though theyare not ſo pompous as thoſe of the other, yet they are ſo affected, that few who have underſtanding can bring themſelves to be proficients this way, though ever ſo uſeful to
wards being well received ; but, if theyfail here, they fucceed with ſome difficulty in being al
lowed to have much of the gentleman in them . To obtain this epithet, a man offenfe muſt arrive at a certain deſire to appear more than is natural
to him ; but as the world goes, it is fit he ſhould be encouraged in this attempt, ſince nothing can mend the general taſte, but ſetting the true cha
racter in as public a view as the falſe. This indeed can never be done to the purpoſe, while
the majority is ſo great on the wrong ſide; one of a hundred will have the ſhout againſt him ; but if people of wit would be as zealous to aſſiſt old
Ironſide, as he is to promote them and their in tereſt, a little time would give theſe things a new
turn. However, I will not deſpair but I ſhall be able to fummon all the good ſenſe in the nation
to my aſſiſtance, in my ambition to produce a new race of mankind , to take the places of ſuch
as have hitherto pretended to engroſs the faſhion . The univerſity ſcholar ſhall be called upon to
