The nation, as was shown in 1745, when a handful of Highlanders penetrated without opposition to the heart of the kingdom, has grown slack and cowardly.

Gambling penetrates every nook and cranny of the upper class; the officers of the army devote themselves to fashion; the navy's main desire is for prize money.

Even the domestic affections are at a low ebb; and the grand tour brings back a new species of Italianate Englishman.

The poor, indeed, the middle class, and the legal and medical professions, Brown specifically exempts from this indictment.

But he emphasizes his belief that this is unimportant.