N° 224. man would recover a wife or a horfe that is ftolen or ftrayed; if he wants new fermons, electuaries, affes milk, or any thing elfe, either for his body or his mind, this is the place to look for them in. The great art in writing Advertisements, is the finding out a proper method to catch the reader's eye, without which a good thing may pafs over unobferved, or be loft among commiffions of bankrupts. Afterifks and hands were formerly of great ufe for this purpose. Of late years the N. B. has been much in fashion, as alfo little cuts and figures, the invention of which we must afcribe to the Author of fpring-truffes. I must not here omit the blind Italian character, which, being fcarce legible, always fixes and detains the eye, and gives the curious reader fomething like the fatisfaction of prying into a fecret. But the great skill in an Advertifer is chiefly feen in the ftyle which he makes ufe of. He is to mention The univerfal esteem, or general reputation," of things that were never heard of. If he is a Phyfician or Aftrologer, he must change his lodgings frequently; and, though he never faw any body in them befides his own family, give public notice of it, "For the information "of the Nobility and Gentry." Since I am thus ufefully employed in writing criticifms on the works of these diminutive Authors, I must not pafs over in filence an Advertisement, which has lately made its appearance, and is written altogether in a Ciceronian manner. It was fent to me, with five fhillings, to be inferted among my Advertisements; but as it is a pattern of good writing in this way, I fhall give it a place in the body of my Paper. THE HE higheft compounded fpirit of lavender, the moft glorious, if the expreffion may be used, enlivening fcent and flavour that can poffibly be, which fo raptures the fpirits, delights the guft, and gives fuch airs to the countenance, as are not to be imagined but by thofe that have tried it. The meaneft fort of the thing is admired by moft Gentlemen and Ladies; but this far more, as by far it exceeds it, to the gaining among all a more than common efteem. It is fold, în neat neat flint bottles fit for the pocket, only at the golden. Key in Wharton's Court near Holbourn-bars, for three fhillings and fix-pence, with directions. At the fame time that I recommend the feveral flowers in which this fpirit of lavender is wrapped up, if the expreffion may be ufed, I cannot excufe my fellow-labourers for admitting into their Papers feveral uncleanly Advertisements, not at all proper to appear in the works of polite Writers. Among these 1 muft reckon the "Carminative Wind-expelling Pills." If the Doctor had called them only his Carminative Pills, he had been as cleanly as one could have wifhed; but the fecond word entirely destroys the decency of the firft. There are other abfurdities of this nature fo very grofs, that I dare not mention them; and fhall therefore difmifs this fubject with a public admonition to Michael Parrot, That he do not prefume any more to mention a certain worm he knows of, which, by the way, has grown feven feet in my memory; for if I am not much mistaken, it is the fame that was but nine feet long about fix months ago. By the remarks I have here made, it plainly appears, that a collection of Advertisements is a kind of mifcellany; the Writers of which, contrary to all Authors, except men of Quality, give money to the Bookfellers who publish their copies. The genius of the Bookfeller is chiefly fhewn in his method of ranging and digefting thefe little tracts. The laft Paper I took up in my hand places them in the following order. The true Spanish blacking for fhoes, &c. &c. Nectar and Ambrofia, &c. Four freehold tenements of fifteen pounds per Annum, The prefent ftate of England, &c. +++ Annotations upon the Tatler, &c. Saturday, N° 225. Saturday, September 16, 1710. -Si quid novifti rectius iftis, Candidus imperti, fi non, his utere mecum. HOR. Ep. 6. lib. 1. ver. 67. If a better fyftem's thine, Impart it frankly; or make ufe of mine.. TH FRANCIS. From my own Apartment, September 15. HE hours which we spend in Converfation are the most pleafing of any which we enjoy; yet, methinks, there is very little care taken to improve ourfelves for the frequent repetition of them. The common fault in this cafe is that of growing too intimate, and falling into difpleafing familiarities: For it is a very ordinary thing for men to make no other ufe of a clofe acquaintance with each other's affairs, but to teaze one another with unacceptable allufions. One would pafs over patiently fuch as converfe like animals, and falute each other with bangs on the fhoulder, fly raps with canes, or other robuft pleasantries practifed by the rural Gentry of this nation: But even among those who should have more polite ideas of things, you fee a fet of people who invert the defign of Conversation, and make frequent mention of ungrateful fubjects; nay, mention them because they are ungrateful; as if the perfection of fociety were in knowing how to offend on the one part, and how to bear an offence on the other. In all parts of this popular town, you find the merry world made up of an active and a paffive companion; one who has good-nature enough to fuffer all his friend fhall think fit to fay, and one who is refolved to make the most of his good humour to fhew his parts. In the trading part of 139 of mankind, I have ever obferved the jest went by the weight of purfes, and the ridicule is made up by the gains which arife from it. Thus the packer allows the clothier to fay what he pleases; and the broker has his countenance ready to laugh with the merchant, though the abufe is to fall on himself, because he knows that, as a go-between, he fhall find his account in being in the good graces of a man of wealth. Among these just and punctual people the richest man is ever the better jefter; and they know no fuch thing as a perfon who fhall pretend to a fuperior laugh at a man, who does not make him amends by opportunities of advantage in another kind: But among people of a different way, where the pretended diftinction in company is only what is raifed from fenfe and understanding, it is very abfurd to carry on a rough raillery fo far, as that the whole difCouffe fhould turn upon each other's infirmities, follies, or misfortunes. I was this evening with a fet of Wags of this clafs. They appear generally by two and two; and what is moft extraordinary, is, that thofe very perfons who are moft together appear leaft of a mind when joined by other company. This evit proceeds from an indifcreet familiarity, whereby a man is allowed to fay the most grating thing imaginable to another, and it fhall be accounted weakness to fhew an impatience for the unkindnefs. But this and all other deviations from the defign of pleafing each other, when we meet, are derived from interlopers in fociety; who want capacity to put in a ftock among regular companions, and therefore fupply their wants by ftale hiftories, fly obfervations, and rude hints, which relate to the conduct of others. All cohabitants in general run into this unhappy fault; men and their wives break into reflections, which are like fo much Arabic to the reft of the company; fifters and brothers often make the like figure, from the fame unjuft fenfe of the art of befng intimate and familiar. It is often faid, fuch a one cannot. ftand the mention of fuch a circumftance; if he cannot, I am fure it is for want of difcourfe, or a worfe reafon, that any companion of his touches upon it. Familiarity, Familiarity, among the truly well-bred, never gives authority to trefpafs upon one another in the most minute circumstance; but it allows to be kinder than we ought otherwife to prefume to be. Eufebius has wit, humour, and fpirit; but there never was a man in his company who wished he had lefs; for he understands Familiarity fo well, that he knows how to make ufe of it in a way, that neither makes himself or his friend contempt ible; but if any one is leffened by his freedom, it is he himfelf, who always likes the place, the diet, and the reception, when he is in the company of his friends. Equa lity is the life of converfation; and he is as much out who affumes to himself any part above another, as he who confiders himself below the reft of the fociety. Familiarity in inferiors is faucinefs; in fuperiors, condefcenfion; neither of which are to have being among companions, the very word implying that they are to be equal. When therefore we have abftracted the company from all confiderations of their quality or fortune, it will immediately appear, that to make it happy and polite, there must nothing be started which fhall difcover, that our thoughts run upon any fuch diftinctions. Hence it will arife, that benevolence muft become the rule of fociety, and he that is most obliging must be most diverting. This way of talking I am fallen into from the reflection, that I am, wherever I go, entertained with some abfurdity, mistake, weakness, or ill-luck of fome man or other, whom not only I, but the perfon who makes me thofe relations, has a value for. It would therefore be a great benefit to the world, if it could be brought to pass, that no ftory fhould be a taking one, but what was to the advantage of the perfon of whom it is related. By this means, he that is now a Wit in converfation, would be confidered as a spreader of falfe news is in bufinefs. But above all, to make a Familiar fit for a bosom friend, it is abfolutely neceffary that we fhould always be inclined rather to hide, than rally each others infirmities. To fuffer for a fault is a fort of atonement; and no-body is concerned for the offence for which he has made reparation. P.S. |