had had only the skeleton and kit, he must have been contented with a lefs payment. But the doctor we were talking of, adds to his long voyages, the teftimony of fome people that has been thirty years lame.' When I received my paper, a fagacious fellow took one at the fame time, and read until he came to the thirty years confinement of his friends, and went off very well convinced of the doctor's fufficiency. You have many of thefe prodigious perfons, who have had fome extraordinary accident at their birth, or a great difafter in some part of their lives. Any thing however foreign from the bufinefs the people want of you, will convince them of your ability in that you profefs. There is a doctor in Moufe Alley, near Wapping, who fets up for curing cataracts upon the credit of having, as his bill fets forth loft an eye in the emperor's fervice. His patients come in upon this, and he fhews his mufter-roll, which confirms that he was in his imperial majefty's troops; and he puts out their eyes with great fuccefs Who would believe that a man fhould be a doctor for the cure of burften children, by declaring that his father and grandfather were born burften? But Charles Ingoltfon, next door to the Harp in Barbican, has made a pretty penny by that affeveration. The generality go upon their firft conception, and think no further; all the rest is granted. They take it that there is fomething uncommon in you, and give you credit for the rest. You may be fure it is upon that I go, when fometimes, let it be to the purpose or not, I keep a Latin fentence in my front; and I was not a little pleased when I obferved one of my readers fay, cafting his eye on my twentieth paper, More Latin ftill? What a prodigious fcholar is

1

this man!' But as I have here taken much liberty with this learned doctor, I must make up all I have faid by repeating what he feems to be in earneft in, and honestly promise to those who will not receive him as a great man; to wit, That from eight to twelve, and from two till fix, he attends for the good of the public to bleed for three-pence.'

6

་

T.

Tanti non es, ais. Sapis, Luperce.

MART. Epig. 118. l. 1. v. ult.

I

You fay, Lupercus, what I write

I'n't worth fo much: you're in the right.

THIS

HIS is the day on which many eminent authors will probably publish their last words. I am afraid that few of our weekly hiftorians, who are men that above all others delight in war, will be able to fubfift under the weight of a ftamp, and an approaching peace. A fheet of blank paper that must have this new imprimatur clapped upon it, before it is qualified to communicate any thing to the public, will make its way in the world but very heavily. In fhort, the necellity of carrying a ftamp, and the improbability of notifying a bloody battle, will, I am afraid, both concur to the finking of thofe thin folios, which have every other day retailed to us the history of Europe for several years laft paft. A facetious friend of mine who loves a pun, calls this prefent mortality among authors, The fall of the leaf.'

I remember, upon Mr. Baxter's death, there was published a sheet of very good fayings, infcribed, The laft words of Mr. Baxter.' The title fold fo great a number of thefe papers, that about a week after there came out a fecond fheet, infcribed, 'More last words ⚫ of Mr. Baxter.' In the faine manner I have reafon to think, that feveral ingenious writers, who have taken their leave of the public, in farewel papers, will not give over fo, but intend to appear again, though perhaps under another form, and with a different title. Be that as it will, it is my bufinefs, in this place, to give an account of my own intentions, and to acquaint my reader with the motives by which I act, in this great crifis of the republic of letters.

I have been long debating in my own heart, whether I fhould throw up my pen, as an author that is cafhiered by the act of parliament, which is to operate within thefe four and twenty hours, or whether I should still perit in laying my fpeculations, from day to day, before the public. The argument which prevails with me most on the first fide of the question is, that I am informed by my bookfeller he must raise the price of every fingle paper to two-pence, or that he shall not be able to pay the duty of it. Now as I am very defirous my reade's fhould have their learning as cheap as poffible, it is with great difficulty that I comply with him in this particular.

However upon laying my reafons together in the balance, I find that thofe who plead for the continuance of this work, have much the greater weight. For, in the first place, in recompence for the expence to which this will put my readers, it is to be hoped they may receive from every paper fo much inftruction as will be a very good equivalent. And in order to this, I would not advise any one to take it in, who, after the perusal of it, does not find himself two-pence the wiser or the better man for it; or who, upon examination, does not believe that he has had two-penny-worth of mirth or inftruction for his money.

But I must confefs there is another motive, which prevails with me more than the former. I confider that the tax on paper was given for the fupport of the government; and as I have enemies, who are apt to pervert every thing I do or fay, I fear they would afcribe the laying down my paper on fuch an occafion, to a fpirit of malecontentednefs, which I am refolved none. fhall ever justly upbraid me with. No, I fhall glory in contributing my utmoft to the public weal; and if my country receives five or fix pounds a day by my labours, 1 fhail be very well pleafed to find myself fo afetul a member it is a received maxim, that no honeft man thould enrich himself by methods that are prejudicial to the community in which he lives; and by the fame rule I think we may pronounce the perfon to defeive very well of his countrymen, whole labours

bring more into the public coffers, than into his own pocket.

Since I have mentioned the word enemies, I muft explain myfeli fo far as to acquaint my reader, that I mean only the infignificant party zealots on both fides: mien of fuch poor narrow fouls, that they are not capable of thinking on any thing but with an eye to Whig or Tory. During the courfe of this paper, I have been accused by thefe defpicable wretches of trimming, time-ferving, perfonal reflection, fecret fatire, and the like. Now though in thefe my compofitions, it is vifible to any reader of common fenfe, that I confider nothing but my fubject which is always of an indifferent nature; how is it poffible for me to write fo clear of party, as not to lie open to the cenfures of thofe who will be applying every sentence, and finding out perfons and things in it, which it has no regard to?

Several paltry feribblers and declaimers have done me the honour to be dull upon me in reflections of this nature; but notwithstanding my name has been fometimes traduced by this contemptible tribe of men, I have hitherto avoided all animadverfions upon them. The truth of it is, I am afraid of making them appear confiderable by taking notice of them, for they are like those imperceptible infects which are difcovered by the microscope, and cannot be made the fubject of obfervation without being magnified

Having mentioned thofe few who have fhewn themfelves the enemies of this paper, I fhould be very ungrateful to the public, did I not at the fame time tettify my gratitude to thofe who are its friends, in which number i may reckon maliy of the most diftinguished perfons of all conditions, parties and proteffions in the ifle of Great Britain. I am not fo vain as to think this approbation is fo much due to the performance as to the defign. There is and ever will be, juhice enough in the world, to afford patronage and protection for those who endeavour to advance truth and virtue, without regard to the paffions and prejudices of any particular caufe or faction. If I have any other merit in me, it is that I have new-pointed all the bateries of ridicule. They have been generally planted againft perfons who have

appeared serious rather than abfurd; or at beft, have aimed rather at what is unfathionable than what is vicious. For my own part, I have endeavoured to make nothing ridiculous that is not in fome measure criminal. I have fet up the immoral man as the object of derifion: in fhort, if I have not formed a new weapon against vice and irreligion, I have at least fhewn how that weapon may be put to a right ufe which has so often fought the battles of impiety and profanenefs.

C.

N° 446.

Friday, August 1.

Quid deceat, quid non; quò virtus, quò ferat error.

HOR. Ars Poet. v.

What fit, what not; what excellent, or ill.

SINCE two

308.

ROSCOMMON.

SINCE two or three writers of comedy who are now living, have taken their farewel of the stage, those who fucceed them finding themfelves incapable of rifing up to their wit, humour and good fenfe, have only imitated them in fome of thofe loofe unguarded strokes, in which they complied with the corrupt taste of the more vicious part of their audience. When perfons of a low genius, attempt this kind of writing, they know no difference between being merry and being lewd. It is with an eye to fome of thefe degenerate compofitions that I have written the following difcourse.

Were our English ftage but half fo various as that of the Greeks or Romans, we should quickly fee the influence of it in the behaviour of all the politer part of mankind. It would not be fafhionable to ridi ule religion or its profeffors; the man' of pleature would not be the complete gentleman; vanity would be out of countenance, and every quality which is ornamental to human nature, would meet with that eleem which is due to it.