No. XI. of the
MICROCOSM.
MONDAY, February 12, 1787.
Res gestæ regumque, ducumque, et tristia bella,
Quo scribi possint numero, monstravit Homerus.—Hor.
By Homer taught, the modern poet sings,
In Epic strains, of heroes, wars, and Kings.—Francis.
HERE are certain forms and etiquettes in life, which, though the neglect of them does not amount to the commission of a crime, or the violation of a duty, are yet so established by example, and sanctioned by custom, as to pass into Statutes, equally acknowledged by society, and almost equally binding to individuals, with the laws of the land, or the precepts of morality. A man guilty of breaking these, though he cannot be transported for a felon, or indicted for treasonable practices, is yet, in the High Court of Custom, branded as a flagrant offender against decorum, as notorious for an unprecedented infringement on propriety.