民族偏见National Prejudices As I an one of that sauntering tribe of mortals, who spend the greatest part of thime in taverns, coffeehouses, and other places of public resort, I have thereby an opportunity of observing an infinite variety of characters, which, to a person of a contemplative turn, is a much higher entertainment than a view of all the curiosities of art or nature. In one of these, my late rambles, I accidentally fell into the company of half a dozen gentlemen, who were engaged in a warm dispute about some pome political affair; the decision of which, as they were equally divibeb in their sentiments, they thought proper to refer to me, which naturally drew me in for a share of the conversation. Amongst a multiplicity of other topics, we took occasion to talk of the different characters of the several nations of Europe;when one of the gentlemen, cocking his hat, and assuming such an air of importanceas if he had possessed all the merit of the English nation in his own person, declared that the Dutch were a parcel of avaricious wretches;the French a set of flattering sycophants, that the Germans were drunkensots, andbeastlyglutton, and the Spaniards proud, haughty, and surly tyrants; but that in bravery, generosity, clemency, and in every other virtue, the Eiglish excelled all the rest of the world. This very learned and judicious remark was received with a general smile of approbation by all the company--all, I mean, but your humble servant; who, endavouring to keep my gravity as well as Icould, and reclining my head upon my arm, continued for some time in a posture of affected thoughtfulness, as if Ihad been musing on something else, and did not seem to attend to the subject of converstion; hoping by these means to avoid the disagreeable necessity of explaining myself
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