elves significant in high posts
and stations, and in more reigns than one. Bounteous nature indulges
mankind in a boundless variety of characters as well as features, and
has given Ciphers to make up numbers, and very often by such additions
renders the few much more significant and conspicuous. The Church has
its Ciphers--for a mitre looks as well on a round 0 as on any letter in
the alphabet, ~226~~and the expense to the nation is equally the same;
consequently, John Bull has no right to complain.

"See in Pomposo a polite divine,
More gay than grave, not half so sound as fine;
The ladies' parson, proudly skill'd is he,
To 'tend their toilet and pour out their tea;
Foremost to lead the dance, or patient sit
To deal the cards out, or deal out small wit;
Then oh! in public, what a perfect beau,
So powder'd and so trimm'd for pulpit show;
So well equipp'd to tickle ears polite
With pretty little subjects, short and trite.
Well cull'd and garbled from the good old store
Of polish'd sermons often preached before;
With precious scraps from moral Shakespeare brought.
To fill up awkward vacancies of thought,
Or shew how he the orator can play
Whene'er he meets with some good thing to say,
Or prove his taste correct, his memory strong,
Nor let his fifteen minutes seem too long:
His slumbering mind no knotty point pursues,
Save when contending for his tithes or dues."

Thus far, although it must be allowed that ciphers are of use, it is not
every cipher that is truly useful. There are Ciphers of indolence, to
which some mistaken men give the title of men of fine parts--there are
Ciphers of Self-interest, to which others more wrongfully give the name
of Patriots--there are Bacchanalian Ciphers, who will not leave the
bottle to save the nation, but will continue to guzzle till no one
figure in Arithmetic is sufficient to support them--then there are
Ciphers of Venus, who will abandon all state affairs to follow a
Cyprian, even at the risk of injuring a deserving wife--Military
Ciphers, who forsake the pursuit of glory, and distrustful of their own
merit or courage, affirm their distrust by a sedulous attendance at the
levees of men of power. In short, every man, in my humble opinion, is
no other than a Cipher who does not apply