80 pages. Printed at John Wright's Steam Press, Bristol. Original yellow endpapers. "Contemporary ink ownership inscription on front free endpaper, dated 1845. Provenance: Mary Anna Palmer Bruce (b. 1835), who married Rev. Charles Harwick Marriott, son of Ann Marriott; (b. 1815), on 12th July 1860, and resided at 4 Morden Road, Blackheath, London. 86 x 67 mm. Original green embossed cloth, floral in design. Hinges and spine slightly rubbed. Not in Bondy, nor Spielmann, nor Welsh. OCLC, 36063050. WorldCat records nine copies worldwide (Oxford, New Brunswick, Pennsylvania State, Cleveland, Chicago, Indiana, Illinois, Texas Woman's, and Brigham Young University Libraries). This text is one of Cowper's most famous moral satires, originally published in 1782. Cowper wrote this while living in relative seclusion in Olney, observing the world from his retreat. He used his poetry to critique the "sullen and uncommunicative disposition" he saw in the English nation compared to the more loquacious French. It explores the ethics and etiquette of speech, blending wit with serious religious and social reflection. This particular small-format edition was intended for wide, affordable distribution and shows how Cowper’s work was repackaged for the 19th-century middle class who valued hismoral grounding.