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courteous Umbra. He is a find man indeed, but the
soft creature bows below my apron-string, before he
takes it: yet, after the first ceremonies, he is as
familiar as my physician, and his insignificancy
makes me half ready to complain to him of all I
would to my doctor. He is so courteous, that he
carries half the messages of ladies' ails in town to
their midwives and nurses. He understands too the
art of medicine as far as to the cure of a pimple, or a
rash. On occasions of the like importance, he is the
most assiduous of all men living, in consulting and
searching precedents from family to family; then he
speaks of his obsequiousness and diligence in the
style of real services. If you sneer at him, and thank
him for his great friendship he bows, and says,
'Madam, all the good offices in my power, while I
have any knowledge or credit, shall be at your ser-
vice.' The consideration of so shallow a being,
and the intent application with which he pursues
trifles has made me carefully reflect upon that sort
of men we usually call an impertinent: and I am,
upon mature deliberation, so far from being offended No. 39.] SATURDAY, JULY 9, 1709.

a certain account, that they called a council of war
to consult whether it was not advisable to march into
the citadel, and leave the town defenceless. We
are assured, that when the confederate army was
advancing towards the camp of Marshal Villars, that
| General despatched a courier to his master with a
letter, giving an account of their approach, which
concluded with the following words: The day begins
to break, and your Majesty's army is already in order
of battle. Before noon I hope to have the honour of
congratulating your Majesty on the success of a great
action; and you shall be very well satisfied with
the Marshal Villars.'

with him, that I am really obliged to him; for though he will take you aside, and talk half an hour to you upon matters, wholly insignificant, with the most solemn air, yet I consider, that these things are of weight in his imagination, and he thinks he is communicating what is for my service. If, therefore, it be a just rule, to judge of a man by his intention, according to the equity of good breeding, he that is impertinently kind or wise to do you a service, ought in return to have a proportionable place both in your affection and esteem; so that the courteous Umbra deserves the favour of all his acquaintance; for though he never served them, he is ever willing to do it, and believes he does it.

Mrs. Distaff hath received the dialogue, dated Monday evening, which she has sent forward to Mr. Bickerstaff at Maidenhead; and in the mean time gives her service to the parties.

It is to be noted, that when any part of this paper appears dull, there is a design in it.

BY ISAAC BICKERSTAFF, ESQ.
Grecian Coffee-house, July 7.

As I am called forth by the immense love I bear to my fellow-creatures, and the warm inclination I feel within me, to stem, as far as I can, the prevailing torrent of vice and ignorance; so I cannot more properly pursue that noble impulse than by setting forth the excellence of virtue and knowledge in their native and beautiful colours. For this reason, I made my late excursion to Oxford, where those qualities appear in their highest lustre, and are the only pretences to honour and distinction. Superiority is there given in proportion to men's advancement in wisdom and As impotent kindness is to be returned with all learning; and that just rule of life is so universally our abilities to oblige; so impotent malice is to be received among those happy people, that you shall see treated with all our force to depress it. For this an Earl walk bare-headed to the son of the meanest reason Flyblow (who is received in all the families artificer, in respect to seven years more worth and in town, through the degeneracy and iniquity of knowledge than the nobleman is possessed of. In their manners) is to be treated like a knave, other places they bow to men's fortunes, but here to though he is one of the weakest of fools: he has their understandings. It is not to be expressed, how by rote, and at second-hand, all that can be said pleasing the order, the discipline, the regularity of of any man of figure, wit, and virtue, in town. their lives, is to a philosopher, who has, by many Name a man of worth, and this creature tells you the years experience in the world, learned to contemn worst passage of his life. Speak of a beautiful every thing but what is revered in this mansion of woman, and this puppy will whisper the next man select and well-taught spirits. The magnificence of to him, the ugh he has nothing to say of her. He is their palaces, the greatness of their revenues, the a fly that feeds on the sore part, and would have sweetness of their groves and retirements, seem nothing to live on if the whole body were in health. equally adapted for the residence of princes and You may know him by the frequency of pronouncing philosophers; and a familiarity with objects of splenthe particle but; for which reason I never heard him dour as well as places of recess, prepares the inhabispoke of with common charity, without using my but tants with an equanimity for their future fortunes, against him: for a friend of mine saying the other day, whether humble or illustrious. How was I pleased 'Mrs. Distaff has wit, good-humour, virtue, and when I looked round at St. Mary's and could, in the friendship; this oaf added, 'But she is not hand- faces of the ingenious youth, see ministers of state, some.' Coxcomb! the gentleman was saying what chancellors, bishops, and judges. I was, not what I was not.' human life! Here only the life of man is that of a rational being! Here men understand and are employed in works worthy their noble nature. This transitory being passes away in an employment not unworthy a future state, the contemplation of the great decrees of Providence. Each man lives as if he were to answer the questions made to Job, 'Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who shut up the sea with doors, and said, Hitherto thou shalt come, and no farther? Such speculations make life agreeable, and death welcome.

St. James's Coffee-house, July 6.

The approaches before Tournay have been carried on with great success; and our advices from the camp before that place of the eleventh instant say that they had already made a lodgment on the glacis. Two hundred boats were come up the Scheld with the heavy artillery and ammunition, which would be employed in dismounting the enemy's defences, and raised on the batteries the fifteenth.

A great body of miners are summoned to the camp, to countermine the defences of the enemy. We are convinced of the weakness of the gairison by

Here only is

But, alas! I was torn from this noble society by the business of this dirty mean world, and the cares of fortune: for I was obliged to be in London

whose instinct I take to be a better guide than men's erroneous opinions, which are usually biassed by interest. I judge in this case, as king Charles the

of his dogs chose of several pieces thrown before him, rather than trust to the asseverations of the victuallers. Mr. Cowper, and other learned counsel, have already urged the authority of this almanack, in behalf of their clients. We shall, therefore go on with all speed in our cause; and doubt not but chan cery will give at the end what we lost in the beginning, by protracting the term for us until Wednesday come seven-night. And the University Orator shall for ever pray, &c.

against the seventh day of the term, and accordingly governed myself by my Oxford Almanack, and came last night; but find, to my great astonishment, that this ignorant town began the term on the twenty-Second victualled his navy with the bread which one fourth of the last month, in opposition to all the learning and astronomy of the famous University of which I have been speaking; according to which, the term certainly was to commence on the first instant. You may be sure a man, who has turned his studies as I have, could not be mistaken in point of time; for knowing I was to come to town in term, I examined the passing moments very narrowly, and called an eminent astronomer to my assistance. Upon very strict observation we found, that the cold has been so severe this last winter (which is allowed to have a benumbing quality) that it retarded the earth in moving round, from Christmas to this season, full seven days and two seconds. My learned friend assured me further, that the earth had lately received a shock from a comet that crossed its vortex, which, if it had come ten degrees nearer to us had made us lose this whole term. I was indeed once of opinion that the Gregorian computation was the most regular, as being eleven days before the Julian; but am now fully convinced that we ought to be seven days after the Chancellor and Judges, and eighteen before the Pope of Rome; and that the Oxonian computation is the best of the three.

These are the reasons which I have gathered from philosophy and nature; to which I can add other circumstances in vindication of the account of this learned body who publish this almanack.

From my own Apartment, July 7.

The subject of duels has, I find, been started with so good success, that it has been the frequent subject of conversation among polite men; and a dialogue of that kind has been transmitted to me verbatim as follows. The persons concerned in it are men of honour and experience in the manners of men, and have fallen upon the truest foundation, as well as searched the bottom of this evil.

Mr. Sage. If it were in my power every man, that drew his sword, unless in the service, or purely to defend his life, person, or goods from violence (I mean abstracted from all punctoes or whims of honour) should ride the wooden horse in the Tilt-yard for such first offence; for the second, stand in the pillory; and for the third, be prisoner in Bedlam for life.

Col. Plume. I remember that a rencontre or duel was so far from being in fashion among the officers that served in the parliament-army, that, on the contrary, it was as disreputable, and as great an impediment to advancement in the service, as being bashful in time of action.

Sir Mark.-Yet I have been informed by some old cavaliers of famous reputation for brave and gallant men, that they were much more in mode among their party than they have been during this last war. Col. Plume. That is true too, sir.

Mr. Sage. By what you say, gentlemen, one should think that our present military officers are compounded of an equal proportion of both those tempers; since duels are neither discountenanced, nor much in vogue.

It is notorious to philosophers, that joy and grief can hasten and delay time. Mr. Locke is of opinion, that a man in great misery may so far lose his measure as to think a minute an hour; or in joy make an hour a minute. Let us examine the present case by this rule, and we shall find, that the cause of this general mistake in the British nation, has been the great success of the last campaign, and the following hopes of peace. Stocks ran so high at the Exchange, that the citizens had gained three days of the courtiers; and we have indeed been so happy all this reign, that if the University did not rectify our mistakes, we should think ourselves but in the second year of her present Majesty. It would be endless to eaumerate the many damages that have happened by this ignorance of the vulgar. All the recognisances within the diocese of Oxford have been forfeited, for not apSir Mark. That difference of temper in regard to pearing on the first day of this fictitious term. The duels, which appears to have been between the court University has been non-suited in their action against and the parliament-men of the sword, was not (I conthe booksellers for printing Clarendon in quarto.ceive) for want of courage in the latter, nor of a liberal Indeed, what gives me the most quick concern, is the case of a poor gentleman, my friend, who was the other day taken in execution by a set of ignorant bailiffs. He should, it seems, have pleaded in the first week in term; but being a Master of Arts of Oxford, he would not recede from the Oxonian computation. He showed Mr. Broad the almanack, and the very day when the term began; but the merciless, ignorant fellow, against all sense and learning, would hurry him away. He went, indeed, quietly enough; but he has taken exact notes of the time of arrest, and sufficient witnesses of his being carried into gaol; and has, by advice of the recorder of Oxford, brought his action: and we doubt not but we shall pay them off with damages, and blemish the reputation of Mr. Broad. We have one convincing proof, which all that frequent the courts of justice are witnesses of the dog that comes constantly to Westminster on the first day of the term, did not appear until the first day according to the Oxford almanack;

education, because there were some of the best families in England engaged in that party; but gallantry and mode, which glitter agreeably to the imagination, were encouraged by the court, as promoting its splendour; and it was as natural that the contrary party (who were to recommend themselves to the public for men of serious and solid parts) should deviate from every thing chimerical.

Mr. Sage.-I have never read of a duel among the Romans, and yet their nobility used more liberty with their tongues than any one may do now without being challenged.

Sir Mark.-Perhaps the Romans were of opinion, that ill-language and brutal manners reflected only on those who were guilty of them; and that a man's reputation was not at all cleared by cutting the person's throat who had reflected upon it: but the custom of those times had fixed the scandal in the action; whereas now it lies in the reproach.

Mr. Sage. And yet the only sort of duel that one

can conceive to have been fought upon motives truly honourable and allowable, was that between the Horatii and Curiatii.

Sir Mark.-Colonel Plume, pray what was the method of single combat in your time among the cavaliers? I suppose, that as the use of clothes continues, though the fashion of them has been mutable; so duels, though still in use, have had in all times their particular modes of performance.

Col. Plume. We had no constant rule, but generally conducted our dispute and tilt according to the last that had happened between persons of reputation among the very top fellows for bravery and gallantry.

Mr. Sage.-Pray, Colonel, how long did that fashion continue?

Col. Plume.-Not long neither, Mr. Sage; for as soon as it became a fashion, the very topping fellows thought their honour reflected upon, if they did not proffer themselves as seconds when any of their friends had a quarrel, so that sometimes there were a dozen of a side.

Sir Mark.-Bless me! if that custom had continued, we should have been at a loss now for our very pretty fellows; for they seem to be the proper men to officer, animate, and keep up an army. But pray, sir, how did that sociable manner of tilting grow out of mode?

Sir Mark.-If the fashion of quarrelling and tilting Col. Plume. Why, sir, I will tell you it was a was so often changed in your time, Colonel Plume, a law among the combatants, that the party which hapman might fight, yet lose his credit for want of un-pened to have the first man disarmed or killed, should derstanding the fashion.

Col. Plume.-Why, Sir Mark, in the beginning of July a man would have been censured for want of courage, or been thought indigent of the true notions of honour, if he had put up with words, which, in the end of September following, one cou d not resent without passing for a brutal and quarrelsome fellow.

Sir Mark. But, Colonel, were duels and rencontres most in fashion in those days?

Col. Plume.-Your men of nice honour, Sir, were for avoiding all censure of advantage which they supposed might be taken in a rencontre; therefore they used seconds, who were to see that all was upon the square, and make a faithful report of the whole combat; but in a little time it became a fashion for the seconds to fight; and I will tell you how it happened.

Mr. Sage.-Pray do, Colonel Plume, and the method of a duel at that time, and give us some notion of the punctoes upon which your nice men quarrelled in those days.

Col. Plume.-I was going to tell you, Mr. Sage, that one cornet Modish had desired his friend Captain Smart's opinion in some affair, but did not follow it; upon which captain Smart sent major Adroit (a very topping fellow of those times) to the person that had slighted his advice. The major never enquired into the quarrel, because it was not the manner then among the very topping fellows; but got two swords of an equal length, and then waited upon Cornet Modish, desiring him to choose his sword, and meet his friend Captain Smart. Cornet Modish came with his friend to the place of combat; there the principals put on their pumps, and stripped to their shirts, to show that they had nothing but what men of honour carry about them, and then engaged.

Sir Mark. And did the seconds stand by, sir? Col. Plume. It was a received custom until that time; but the swords of those days being pretty long, and the principals acting on both sides upon the defensive, and the morning being frosty, Major Adroit desired that the other second who was also a very topping fellow, would try a thrust or two, only to keep them warm, until the principals had decided the matter, which was agreed to by Modish's second, who presently whipt Adroit through the body, disarmed him, and then parted the principals, who had received no harm at all.

Mr. Sage. But was not Adroit laughed at ?

Col. Plume. On the contrary, the very topping fellows were ever after of opinion, that no man, who deserved that character, could serve as a second, without fighting; and the Smarts and Modishes finding their account in it, the humour took without opposition.

yield as vanquished; which some people thought might encourage the Modishes and Smarts in quarrelling to the destruction of only the very topping fellows; and as soon as this reflection was started, the very topping fellows thought it an incumbrance upon their honour to fight at all themselves. Since that time, the Modishes and Smarts, throughout all Europe, have extolled the French king's edict.

Sir Mark. Our very pretty fellows, whom I take to be the successors of the very topping fellows, think a quarrel so little fashionable, that they will not be exposed to by any other man's vanity, or want of

sense.

Mr. Sage. But, Colonel, I have observed in your account of duels, that there was a great exactness in avoiding all advantage that might possibly be between the combatants.

Col. Plume. That is true, sir; for the weapons were always equal.

Mr. Sage.-Yes, sir; but suppose an active adroit strong man had insulted an awkward, or a feeble, or an unpractised swordsman?

Col. Plume. Then, sir, they fought with pistols. Mr. Sage. But, sir, there might be a certain advantage that way; for a good marksman will be sure to hit his man at twenty yard's distance; and a man whose hand shakes (which is common to men that debauch in pleasures, or have not used pistols out of the holsters) will not venture to fire, unless he touches the person he shoots at. Now, sir, I am of opinion, that one can get no honour in killing a man, if one has it all rug, as the gamesters say, when they have a trick to make the game secure, though they seem to play upon the square.

Sir Mark-In truth, Mr. Sage, I think such a fact must be murder in a man's own private conscience, whatever it may appear to the world.

Col. Plume.-I have known some men so nice, that they would not fight but upon a cloak with pistols. Mr. Sage. I believe a custom well established would outdo the grand monarch's edict.

Sir Mark.-And bullies would then leave off their long swords. But I do not find that a very pretty fellow can stay to change his sword when he is insulted by a bully with a long diego; though his own at the same time be no longer than a pen-knife; which will certainly be the case if such little swords are in mode. Pray, Colonel, how was it between the hectors of your time, and the very topping fellows? Col. Plume.-Sir, long swords happened to be generally worn in those times.

1

Mr. Sage. In answer to what you were saying, Sir Mark, give me leave to inform you, that your knights-errant (who were the very pretty fellows of those ancient times) thought they could not honourably

yield, though they had fought their own trusty weapons to the stumps; but would venture as boldy with the page's leaden sword, as if it had been of euchanted metal. Whence I conceive, there must be a spice of romantic gallantry in the composition of that very pretty fellow.

Sir Mark.-I am of opinion, Mr. Sage, that fashion governs a Very Pretty Fellow; nature or common sense, your ordinary persons, and sometimes men of fine parts.

Mr. Sage. But what is the reason, that men of the most excellent sense and morals, in other points, associate their understandings with the very pretty fellows in that chimera of a duel ?

Sir Mark. There is no disputing against so great a majority.

Mr. Sage. But there is one scruple, Colonel Plume, and I have done. Do not you believe there may be some advantage even upon a cloak with pistols, which a man of nice honour would scruple to take?

Col. Plume.-Faith, I cannot tell, Sir? but since one may reasonably suppose that in such a case, there can be but one so far in the wrong as to occasion matters to come to that extremity, I think the chance of being killed should fall but on one; whereas, by their close and desperate manner of fighting, it may very probably happen to both.

Sir Mark-Why, gentlemen, if they are men of such nice honour, and must fight, there will be no fear of foul play, if they threw up cross or pile who should be shot.

No. 40.]

TUESDAY JULY, 12, 1709.

Will's Coffee-house, July 11. LETTERS from the city of London give an account of a very great consternation that place is in at present, by reason of a late enquiry made at Guildhall whether a noble person has parts enough to deserve the enjoy ment of the great estate of which he is possessed? The city is apprehensive, that this precedent may go farther than was at first imagined. The person against whom this inquisition is set up by his relations, is a peer of a neighbouring kingdom, and has in his youth made some few bulls, by which it is insinuated, that he has forfeited his goods and chattels. This is the more astonishing, in that there are many persons in the said city who are still more guilty than his lordship, and who, though they are idiots, do not only possess, but have also themsleves acquired great estates, contrary to the known laws of this realm, which vests their possessions in the crown,

there is no pursuading them; and my friend will not be convinced, but that upon quoting Solomon, who always used the word fool as a term of the same signification with unjust, and makes all deviation from goodness and virtue to come under the notion of folly; I say, he doubts not, but by the force of this authority, let his idiot uncle appear never so great a knave, he shall prove him a fool at the same time.

This affair led the company here into an examination of these points; and none coming here but wits, what was asserted by a young lawyer, that a lunatic is in the care of the chancery, but a fool in that of the crown, was received with general indignation. 'Why that?' says old Renault. Why that? Why must a fool be a courtier more than a madman? This is the iniquity of this dull age. I remember the time when it went on the mad side; all your top wits were scourers, rakes, roarers, and demolishers of windows. I knew a mad Lord, who was drun kfive years together, and was the envy of that age, who is faintly imitated by the dull pretenders to vice and madness in this. Had he lived to this day, there had not been a fool in fashion in the whole kingdom.' When Renault had done speaking, a very worthy man assumed the discourse: This is,' said he, Mr. Bickerstaff, a proper argument for you to treat of in your article from this place; and if you would send your Pacolet into all our brains, you would find, that a little fibre or valve, scarce discernable, makes the distinction between a politician and an idiot. We should, therefore, throw a veil upon those unhappy instances of human nature, who seem to breathe without the direction of reason and understanding, as we should avert our eyes with abhorrence from such as live in perpetual abuse and contradiction to these noble faculties. Shall this unfortunate man be divested of his estate, because he is tractable and indolent, runs in no man's debt, invades no man's bed, nor spends the estate he owes his children and his character; when one who shows no sense aboveshim, but in such practices, shall be esteemed in his senses, and pos sibly may pretend to the guardianship of him who is no ways his inferior, but in being less wicked? We see old age brings us indifferently into the same impotence of soul, wherein nature has placed this lord.'

There is something very fantastical in the distribution of civil power and capacity among men. The law certainly gives these persons into the ward and care of the crown, because that is best able to protect them from injuries, and the impositions of craft and knavery; that the life of an idiot may not rain the entail of a noble house, and his weakness may not There is a gentleman in the coffee-house at this frustrate the industry or capacity of the founder time exhibiting a bill in chancery against his father's of his family, But when one of bright parts, as we younger brother, who by some strange magic has say, with his eyes open, and all men's eyes upon him arrived at the value of half a plumb, as the citizens destroys those purposes, there in no remedy. Folly call a hundred thousand pounds; and in all the time and ignorance are punished! folly and guilt are of growing up to that wealth, was never known in tolerated! Mr. Locke has somewhere made a distincany of his ordinary words or actions to discover any tion between a madman and a fool: a fool is he that proof of reason. Upon this foundation my friend has from right principles makes a wrong conclusion; but set forth, that he is illegally master of his coffers, and a madman is one who draws a just inference from has written two epigrams to signify his own preten- false principles. Thus the fool who cut off the sions and sufficiency for spending that estate. He fellow's head that lay asleep, and hid it, and then has inserted in his plea some things which I fear will waited to see what he would say when he awaked, give offence; for he pretends to argue, that though a and missed his head-piece, was in the right in the man has a little of the knave mixed with the fool, he first thought, that a man should be surprised to find is nevertheless liable to the loss of goods; and makes such an alteration in things since he fell asleep; but the abuse of reason as just an avoidance of an estate he was a little mistakento imagine he could awake at as the total absence of it. This is what can never all after his head was cut off. A madman fancies pass; but witty men are so full of themselves, that himself a prince; but, upon his mistake, he acts

suitably, to that character; and though he is out in supposing he has principalities, while he drinks gruel and lies in straw, yet you shall see him keep the port of a distressed monarch in all his words and actions. These two persons are equally taken into custody but what must be done to half this good company, who every hour of their life are knowingly and wittingly both fools and madmen, and yet have capacities both of forming principles and drawing conclusions, with the full use of reason?

From my own Apartment, July 11. This evening some ladies came to visit my sister Jenny; and the discourse after very many frivolous and public matters, turned upon the main point among the women, the passion of love. Sappho, who always leads on this occasion, began to show her reading, and told us, that Sir John Suckling and Milton had, upon a parallel occasion, said the tenderest things she ever read.

The circumstance,'

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If you think they were too easily confuted, you may conclude them not of the first sense, by their talking against marriage. Yours, ! MARIANA.'

I observed Sappho began to redden at this epistle; and turning to a lady, who was playing with a dog she was so fond of as to carry him abroad with her; Nay,' says she, I cannot blame the men if they have mean ideas of our souls and affections, and wonder so many are brought to take us for companions for life, when they see our endearments so triflingly placed; for, to my knowledge, Mr. Truman would give half his estate for half the affection you have shown to that Shock: nor do I believe you would be ashamed to confess, that I saw you cry, when he had the colic last week with lapping sour milk. What more could you do for your lover himself?' What more!' replied the lady, There is not a man in England for whom I could lament half so much." Then she stifled the animal with kisses, and called him beau, life, dear, monsieur, pretty fellow, and what not, in the hurry of her impertinence. Sappho rose up; as she always does at any thing she observes done which discovers in her own sex a levity of mind that renders them inconsiderable in the opinion of ours.

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said she, is such as gives us a notion of that protecting
part, which is the duty of men in their honourable
designs upon, or possession of women. In Suckling's
tragedy of Brennoralt he makes the lover steal into
his mistress's bed-chamber and draw the curtains;
then, when his heart is full of her charms, as she lies
sleeping, instead of being carried away by the violence
of his desires into thoughts of a warmer nature, sleep, No. 41.] THURSDAY, JULY 14, 1709.
which is the image of death, gives this generous lover
reflections of a different kind, which regard rather
her safety than his own passion. For, beholding her
as she lies sleeping, he utters these words:-
"So misers look upon their gold,

Which, while they joy to see, they fear to lose :
The pleasure of the sight scarce equalling
The jealousy of being dispossess'd by others.
Her face is like the milky way i' th' sky,
A meeting of gentle lights without name!"
"Heav'n! shall this fresh ornament of the world,
These precious love-lines, pass with other common
things

Amongst the wastes of time? what pity 'twere !" When Milton makes Adam, leaning on his arm, beholding Eve, and lying in the contemplation of her beauty, he describes the utmost tenderness and guardian affection in one word:

"Adam with looks of cordial love,
Hung over her enamour'd."

'This is that sort of passion which truly deserves the name of love, and has something more generous than friendship itself; for it has a constant care of the object beloved, abstracted from its own interests in the possession of it.'

Sappho was proceeding on the subject, when my sister produced a letter sent to her in the time of my absence, in celebration of the marriage state, which is the condition wherein only this sort of passion reigns in full authority. The epistle is as follows:

'DEAR MADAM,

O Celebrare domestica facta.
To celebrate domestic deeds.

White's Chocolate-house, July 12.

THERE is no one thing more to be lamented in our nation, than their general affectation of every thing that is foreign: nay, we carry it so far, that we are more anxious for our own countrymen when they have crossed the seas, than when we see them in the same dangerous condition before our eyes at home: else how is it possible, that on the twenty-ninth of the last month, there should have been a battle fought in our very streets of London, and nobody at this end of the town have heard of it? I protest, I, who make it my business to enquire after adventures, should never have known this had not the following account been sent me inclosed in a letter. This, it seems, is the way of giving out orders in the Artillerycompany; and they prepare for a day of action with so little concern, as only to call it, An exercise of

arms.'

'An Exercise at Arms of the Artillery-company, to be performed on Wednesday, June the twentyninth, 1709, under the command of Sir Joseph Woolfe, Knight and Alderman, General; Charfes Hopson, Esquire, present Sheriff, Lieutenantgeneral; Captain Richard Synge, Major; Major John Shorey, Captain of Grenadiers; Captain William Grayhurst, Captain John Butler, Captain Robert Carellis, Captains.

The body marched from the Artillery-ground, Your brother being absent, I dare take the liberty through Moorgate, Coleman-street, Lothbury, Broadof writing to you my thoughts of that state, which street, Finch-lane, Cornhill, Cheapside, St. Martin's, our whole sex either is, or desires to be in. You St. Anne's-lane, halt the pikes under the wall in will easily guess I mean matrimony, which I hear so Noble-street, draw up the firelocks facing the Goldmuch decried, that it was with no small labour Ismiths'-hall, make ready and face to the left, and maintained my ground against two opponents; but as your brother observed of Socrates, I drew them into my conclusion, from their own concessions; thus: In marriage are two happy things allow'd, A wife in wedding-sheets, and in a shroud. How can a marriage state then be accurs'd, Since the last day's as happy as the first ?" THE TATLER, No. 10.

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fire, and so ditto three times. Beat to arms, and march round the hal!, as up Lad-lane, Gutter-lane, Honey-lane, and so wheel to the right, and make your salute to my lord, and so down St. Anne's-lane, up Aldersgate-street, Barbican, and draw up in Redcross-street, the right of St. Paul's-alley in the rear. March off lieutenant-general with half the body up

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