Cobler to refign all for an old Song. It has been reprefented to me, that thofe inconfiderable Rafcals do nothing but go about diffolving of Marriages and fpoiling of Fortunes, impoverishing rich and ruining great People, interrupting Beauties in the midft of their Conquefts, and Generals in the Courfe of their Victories. A boisterous Peripatetick hardly goes thro' a Street without waking half a dozen Kings and Princes to open their Shops or clean Shoes, frequently transforming Scepters into Paring Shovels, and Proclamations into Bills. I have by me a Letter from a young Statefman, who in five or fix Hours came to be Emperor of Europe, after which he made War upon the Great Turk, routed him Horse and Foot, and was crowned Lord of the Universe in Conftantinople: The Conclufion of all his Succeffes is, that on the 12th Inftant, about feven in the Morning, his Imperial Majesty was depofed by a Chimney-fweeper.

On the other Hand I have Epiftolary Teftimonies of Gratitude from many miferable People, who owe to this clamorous Tribe frequent Deliverances from great Miffortunes. A Small-coal Man, by waking of one of thefe diftreffed Gentlemen, faved him from ten Years Imprifonment. An honeft Watchman bidding a loud Goodmorrow to another, freed him from the Malice of many potent Enemies, and brought all their Defigns againft him to nothing. A certain Valetudinarian confeffes he has often been cured of a fore Throat by the Hoarseness of a Carman, and relieved from a Fit of the Gout by the Sound of old Shoes. A noify Puppy that plagued a fober Gentleman all Night long with his Impertinence, was filenced by a Činder-wench with a Word fpeaking.

INSTEAD therefore of fuppreffing this Order of Mortals, I would propofe it to my Readers to make the best Advantage of their Morning Salutations. A famous Macedonian Prince, for fear of forgetting himself in the midst of his good Fortune, had a Youth to wait on him every Morning, and bid him remember that he was a Man. A Citizen who is waked by one of these Criers, may regard him as a kind of Remembrancer, come to admonish him that it is time to return to the Circumftances he had over

looked

looked all the Night-time, to leave off fancying himself what he is not, and prepare to a&t fuitably to the Condition he is really placed in.

PEOPLE may dream on as long as they please, but I fhall take no Notice of any imaginary Adventures that do not happen while the Sun is on this Side the Horizon. For which Reason I ftifle Fritilla's Dream at Church last Sunday, who while the rest of the Audience were enjoying the Benefit of an excellent Discourse, was lofing her Money and Jewels to a Gentleman at Play, till after a ftrange Run of ill Luck, fhe was reduced to pawn three lovely pretty Children for her laft Stake. When she had thrown them away her Companion went off, discovering himself by his ufual Tokens, a cloven Foot and a ftrong Smell of Brimftone; which laft proved only a Bottle of Spirits, which a good old Lady applied to her Nofe, to put her in a Condition of hearing the Preacher's third Head concerning Time.

IF a Man has no Mind to pass abruptly from his imagined to his real Circumftances, he may employ himself a while in that new kind of Observation which my Onicrocritical Correspondent has directed him to make of himself. Purfuing the Imagination through all its Extravagancies, whether in Sleeping or Waking, is no improper Method of correcting and bringing it to act in Subordinancy to Reafon, fo as to be delighted only with fuch Objects as will affect it with Pleasure, when it is never fo cool and fedate.

XX

Friday,

Jamne igitur laudas, quod de fapientibus alter
Ridebat, quoties a limine moverat unum

Protuleratque pedem: flebat contrarius alter? Juv.

M

ANKIND may be divided into the merry and the ferious, who, both of them, make a very good Figure in the Species, fo long as they keep their refpective Humours from degenerating into the neighbouring Extreme; there being a natural Tendency in the one to a melancholy Morofenefs, and in the other to a fantastick Levity.

THE merry Part of the World are very amiable, whilft they diffuse a Chearfulness through Converfation at proper Seafons and on proper Occafions; but, on the contrary, a great Grievance to Society, when they infect every Difcourfe with infipid Mirth, and turn into Ridicule fuch Subjects as are not fuited to it. For though Laughter is looked upon by the Philofophers as the Property of Reafon, the Excefs of it has been always confidered as the Mark of Folly.

On the other Side, Serioufness has its Beauty whilft it is attended with Chearfulness and Humanity, and does not come in unfeasonably to pall the good Humour of those with whom we converfe.

THESE two Sets of Men, notwithstanding they each of them thine in their refpective Characters, are apt to bear a natural Averfion and Antipathy to one another.

WHAT is more ufual, than to hear Men of ferious Tempers, and auftere Morals, enlarging upon the Vanities and Follies of the young and gay Part of the Species; whilft they look with a kind of Horror upon fuch Pomps and Diverfions as are innocent in them

felves,

No. 598. felves, and only culpable when they draw the Mind too much?

I could not but fmile upon reading a Paffage in the Account which Mr. Baxter gives of his own Life, wherein he reprefents it as a great Bleffing, that in his Youth he very narrowly escaped getting a Place at Court.

IT muft indeed be confeffed that Levity of Temper takes a Man off his Guard, and opens a Pafs to his Soul for any Temptation that affaults it. It favours all the Approaches of Vice, and weakens all the Refiftance of Virtue. For which Reafon a renowned Statesman in Queen Elizabeth's Days, after having retir'd from Court and publick Bufinefs, in order to give himself up to the Duties of Religion; when any of his old Friends used to vifit him, had still this Word of Advice in his Mouth, Be ferious.

AN eminent Italian Author of this Cast of Mind, speaking of the great Advantage of a ferious and compofed Temper, wifhes very gravely, that for the Benefit of Mankind he had Trophonius's Cave in his Poffeffion which, fays he, would contribute more to the Reformation of Manners than all the Work-houses and Bridewells in Europe.

;

We have a very particular Defcription of this Cave in Paufanias, who tells us, that it was made in the Form of a huge Oven, and had many particular Circumstances, which difpofed the Perfon who was in it to be more penfive and thoughtful than ordinary; infomuch that no Man was ever obferved to laugh all his Life after, who had once made his Entry into this Cave. It was ufual in those Times, when any one carried a more than ordinary Gloominefs in his Features, to tell him that he looked like one juft come out of Trophonius's Cave.

On the other Hand, Writers of a more merry Complexion have been no lefs fevere on the oppofite Party, and have had one Advantage above them, that they have attacked them with more Turns of Wit and Humour.

AFTER

AFTER all, if a Man's Temper were at his own Difpofal, I think he would not chufe to be of either of these Parties; fince the moft perfect Character is that which is formed out of both of them. A Man would neither chufe to be a Hermit nor a Buffoon: Human Nature is not fo miferable, as that we fhould be always melancholy; nor fo happy, as that we should be always merry. In a Word, a Man fhould not live as if there was no God in the World; nor, at the fame Time, as if there were no Men in it.

No. 599. Monday, September 27.

I

Ubique

Luctus, ubique pavor.

Virg.

T has been my Cuftom, as I grow old, to allow my felf in fome little Indulgencies which I never took in my Youth. Among others is that of an Afternoon's Nap, which I fell into in the fifty fifth Year of my Age, and have continued for the three laft Years paft. By this means I enjoy a double Morning, and rife twice a-day fresh to my Speculations. It happens very luckily for me, that fome of my Dreams have proved inftructive to my Countrymen, fo that I may be faid to fleep, as well as to wake for the good of the Publick. I was Yesterday meditating on the Account with which I have already entertained my Readers concerning the Cave of Trophonius. I was no fooner fallen into my ufual Slumber, but I dreamt that this Cave was put into my Poffeffion, and that I gave publick Notice of its Virtue, inviting every one to it, who had a mind to be a ferious Man for the remaining Part of his Life. Great Multitudes immediately reforted to me. The firft who made the Experiment was a Merry-Andrew, who was put into my Hands by a neighbouring Juftice of Peace, in order to reclaim him from that profligate kind of Life.

Poor