more fupportable than it appeared to be. As there is no profperous State of Life without its Calamities, fo there is no Adverfity without its Benefits. Ask the Great and Powerful, if they do not feel the Pangs of Envy and Ambition. Enquire of the Poor and Needy, if they have not tafted the Sweets of Quiet and Contentment. Even under the Pains of Body; the Infidelity of Friends; or the Mifconftructions put upon our laudable Actions, our Minds (when for fome Time accustomed to thefe Preffures) are fenfible of fecret Flowings of Comfort, the prefent Reward of a pious Refignation. The Evils of this Life appear like Rocks and Precipices, rugged and barren at a Diftance, but at our nearer Approach, we find little fruitful Spots, and refreshing Springs, mixed with the Harfhness and Deformities of Nature.

IN the laft Place, we may comfort our felves with this Confideration; that, as the Thing feared may not reach us, fo we may not reach what we fear: Our Lives may not extend to that dreadful Point which we have in View. He who knows all our Failings, and will not fuffer us to be tempted beyond our Strength, is often pleased in his tender Severity, to separate the Soul from its Body and Miferies together.

IF we look forward to him for Help, we' fhall. never be in Danger of falling down thofe Precipices which our Imagination is apt to create. Like thofe who walk upon a Line, if we keep our Eye fixed upon one Point, we may ftep forward fecurely; whereas an imprudent or cowardly Glance on either Side will infallibly deftrøy us.

Friday,

N° 616. Friday, November 5.

Qui bellus homo eft, Cotta, pufillus homo eft. Martial.

C

ICERO hath observed, that a Jeft is never uttered with a better Grace, than when it is accompanied with a ferious Countenance. When a pleafant Thought plays in the Features, before it difcovers it felf in Words, it raises too great an Expectation, and lofes the Advantage of giving Surprize. Wit and Humour are no lefs poorly recommended by a Levity of Phrafe, and that kind of Language which may be distinguished by the Name of Cant. Ridicule is never more ftrong, than when it is concealed in Gravity. True Humour lyes in the Thought, and arifes from the Representation of Images in odd Circumftances, and uncommon Lights. A pleafant Thought ftrikes us by the Force of its natural Beauty; and the Mirth of it is generally rather palled, than heightened by that ridiculous Phraseology, which is fo much in fashion among the Pretenders to Humour and Pleasantry. This Tribe of Men are like our Mountebanks; they make a Man a Wit, by putting him in a fantastick Habit.

OUR little Burlesque Authors, who are the Delight of ordinary Readers, generally abound in these pert Phrafes, which have in them more Vivacity than Wit.

I lately faw an Inftance of this kind of Writing, which gave me fo lively an Idea of it, that I could not forbear begging a Copy of the Letter from the Gentleman who fhewed it to me. It is written by a Country Wit, upon the Occafion of the Rejoycings on the Day of the King's Coronation.

Dear

Dear Jack,

Paft two a Clock and a frofty Morning.

'I Have juft left the Right Worfhipful and his Myrmidons about a Sneaker of Five Gallons. The whole Magiftracy was pretty well difguifed before I gave 'em the Slip. Our Friend the Alderman was half Seas over before the Bonfire was out. We had with us the Attorney, and two or three other bright Fellows. The Doctor plays least in Sight.

AT Nine a Clock in the Evening we fet Fire to the Whore of Babylon. The Devil acted his Part to a Miracle. He has made his Fortune by it. We equipp'd the young Dog with a Tefter a peice. Honeft old Brown of England was very drunk, and 'fhow'd his Loyalty to the Tune of a hundred Rockets. The Mob drank the King's Health, on their Marrow-bones, in Mother Day's Double. They whip'd us half a dozen Hcgfheads. Poor Tom. Tyler had like to have been demolished with the End of a Sky-Rocket, that fell upon the Bridge of his Nofe as he was drinking the King's Health, and spoiled his Tip. The Mob were very loyal 'till about Midnight, when they grew a little mutinous for more Liquor. They had like to have dumfounded the Juftice; but his Clerk came in to his Affiftance, and took them all down in Black and White.

4

WHEN I had been huzza'd out of my Seven Senfes, I made a Vifit to the Women, who were guzzling very comfortably. Mrs. Mayores clip'd the King's English. Clack was the Word.

I forgot to tell thee, that every one of the Poffe had his Hat cock'd with a Diftich: The Senators • fent us down a Cargo of Ribbon and Metre for the • Occafion.

· SIR Richard, to fhew his Zeal for the Protestant
Religion, is at the Expence of a Tar-Barrel and a
Ball. I peep'd into the Knight's great Hall, and
VOL. VIII.

L

faw

faw a very pretty Bevy of Spinfters. My dear Relict was amongst them, and ambled in a CountryDance as notably as the best of 'em.

MAY all his Majefty's liege Subjects love hive as ⚫ well as his good People of this his ancient Borough. Adieu.

N617. Monday, November 8.

Torva Mimalloneis implerunt cornua bombis,
Et raptum vitulo caput ablatura fuperbo
Baffaris, & lyncem Manas flexura corymbis.
Evion ingeminat: reparabilis adfonat Echo.

Perfius.

HERE are two Extreams in the Stile of Hu mour, one of which confifts in the Ufe of that little pert Phrafeology which I took Notice of in my laft Paper; the other in the Affectation of ftrained and pompous Expreffions, fetched from the learned Languages. The first favours too much of the Town; the other of the College.

AS nothing illuftrates better than Example, I fhall here prefent my Reader with a Letter of Pedantick Humour, which was written by a young Gentleman of the Univerfity to his Friend; on the fame Occafion and from the fame Place, as the lively Epiftle pubifhed in my laft Spectator.

Dear Chum,

"It is now the which I have fpent round a capa

T is now the third Watch of the Night, the great

cious Bowl of China, filled with the choiceft Products of both the Indies. I was placed at a quadrangular Table, diametrically oppofite to the Mace-bearer. The Vifage of that venerable Herald was, according to Custom, moft gloriously illuminated on this joyful Occafion. The Mayor and Aldermen, thofe Pillars of

Sour

our Conftitution, began to totter; and if any one at the Board could have fo far articulated, as to have ⚫ demanded intelligibly a Reinforcement of Liquor, the whole Affembly had been by this time extended under the Table.

THE Celebration of this Night's Solemnity was * opened by the obftreperous Joy of Drummers, who, with their Parchment Thunder, gave a Signal for the Appearance of the Mob under their feveral Claffes and Denominations. They were quickly joined by the melodious Clank of Marrow-bone and Cleaver, whilft a Chorus of Bells filled up the Cor• fort.

A Pyramid of Stack-Faggots cheared the Hearts of the Populace with the Promife of a Blaze: The Guns had no fooner uttered the Prologue, but ⚫ the Heavens were brightened with artificial Meteors, and Stars of our own making; and all the HighStreet lighted up, from one End to another, with a Galaxy of Candles. We collected a Largess for the • Multitude, who tippled Eleemofynary till they grew exceeding Vociferous. There was a Pafte-board • Pontiff with a little fwarthy Dæmon at his Elbow, who, by his diabolical Whifpers and Infinuations, tempted his Holiness into the Fire, and then left him to fhift for himfelf. The Mobile were very farca* ftick with their Clubs, and gave the old Gentleman feveral Thumps upon his triple Head-piece. Tom. Tyler's Phiz is fomething damaged by the Fall of a • Rocket, which hath almost spoiled the Gnomon of ⚫ his Countenance. The Mirth of the Commons grew fo very outrageous, that it found Work for our Friend of the Quorum, who, by the help of his Amanuenfis, took down all their Names and their • Crimes, with a Defign to produce his Manuscript at the next Quarter-Seffions. &c. &c. &c.

I fhall fubjoin to the foregoing Piece of a Letter, the following Copy of Verfes tranflated from an Italian Poet, who was the Cleveland of his Age, and had Multitudes of Admirers. The Subject is an Accident