"It is common with the old men to assert, that times alter for the worse, and that every age increases in ignorance and folly. At the Theatres, they will tell you, that Garrick and Mrs. Cibber are tolerable performers, but they will not allow them to be equal to Booth and Mrs. Oldfield. 'When I was a boy, things were otherwise,' is their common expression. Now, Mr. Printer, in despite of all this, I affirm, that instead of altering for the worse, we daily improve, not only in Commerce, but also in Manners and the Polite Arts. Think not by the Polite Arts I mean only the Exhibitions in Spring-gardens and Maiden-lane. No, Sir, my inference is a general one; I include artists of every denomination, from the genteel Mr. Pencil, the Portrait-painter, to honest Brush, the Sign-painter; both Mr. Heeltap, the Shoemaker of St. James's, and plain Crispin, the Cobler of London-house-yard. And that we only began to improve of late years, is evident from the sarcastic sneer of a shop-keeper at Epping, who, about ten years ago, had painted over his door, 'All sorts of Manchester stuffs sold here; also cardinals, nails, and hats.' The force of the witticism is too plain to need an explanation. This, I imagine, gave rise to the number of Dancing-masters, who have of late filled England; and that we are, since that time, greatly polished, no one, I dare say, will attempt to deny; but that it may not be thought that I assert what I am unable to prove, I will only remind your readers of the revolution that common things have undergone in their names. Have we now any shops? Are they not all turned into warehouses? Have we not the English warehouse, the Scotch warehouse, the Irish warehouse, the shirt warehouse, the stocking warehouse, the shoe warehouse, the hat warehouse, nay, even the buckle and button warehouse? In like manner our drinking-houses are refined: they no longer go under the vulgar denominations of gin-houses, purl-houses, ale-houses, and porter-houses, but are all turned into coffee-houses without coffee, taverns without wine, and inns without a stable-yard. Not content with this, they even left off the showy sign-post and exuberant sign, which formerly distinguished the best-accustomed houses: convinced of their own merit, they have come to a right understanding of the words _simplex munditiis_; and therefore only put up a black board with the name of their _quondam_ sign upon it. But I would just hint to them, that it would be something more grammatical, if, instead of '_This is_ the Boar's-head,' they were to say, '_This was_ the Boar's-head.' Indeed I cannot help thinking, that a very great improvement might be made by one of these alehouse innkeepers on the Essex road, who has a board with a large punch-bowl painted on it, and under it these words: 'The Boar's-head Inn.' Surely he would have more custom, if (like the man at Bath, who changed his sign of the Royal Oak into that of the Owl