they ceafe to do good, I fhall tell all the good they have done already. Let therefore the benefactor to the youths above-mentioned continue fuch bounties, upon pain of being publicly praifed. But there is no probability of his running into that hazard; for a ftrong habit of virtue can make men fufpend the receiving acknowledge. ments due to their merit, until they are out of a capacity of receiving them. I am fo very much charmed with accidents of this kind, that I have made a collection of all the memorable handfome things done by private men in my time. As a fpecimen of my manner of noting fuch actions, take the following fragment, out of much more, which is written in my year-book on the remarkable Will of a Gentleman, whom I fhall here call Celamico. "This day died that plain and excellent man, my "much honoured friend Celamico, who bequeathed his whole eftate to a Gentleman no way related to him,. "and to whom he had given no fuch expectation in his "life-time." He was a perfon of a very enlarged Soul, and thought the nearest relation among men to be the resemblance of their minds and fentiments. He was not mistaken in the worth of his fucceffor, who received the news of this unexpected good fortune with an air that shewed him lefs moved with the benefit, than the lofs of the benefactor. ADVERTISEMENT. "Notice is hereby given, That on Monday the ele"venth inftant, the Cafe of the Vifit comes on, between "the hours of ten and eleven, at the Court of Honour; where both perfons are to attend, the meeting there "not being to be understood as a Vifit, and the right "of the next Vifit being then to be wholly fettled, according to the prayer of the plaintiff.” N° 262. Tuesday, December 12, 1710. Verba toga fequeris, jun&urâ callidus acri, PERS. Sat. 5. ver. 14. Soft elocution does does thy ftyle renown, DRYDEN. Journal of the Court of Honour, &c. Imothy Treatall, Gentleman, was indicted by feveral Ladies of his Sifter's acquaintance for a very rude affront offered to them at an entertainment, to which he had invited them on Tuesday the feventh of November laft past, between the hours of eight and nine in the evening. The indictment fet forth, That the faid Mr. Treatall, upon the ferving up of the fupper, defired the Ladies to take their places according to their different age and feniority; for that it was the way always at his table to pay refpect to years. The indictment added, that this produced an unfpeakable confufion in the company; for that the Ladies, who before had preffed together for a place at the upper end of the table, immedately crouded with the fame diforder towards the end that was quite oppofite; that Mrs. Frontley had the infolence to clap herfelf down at the very lowest place of the table; that the widow Partlet feated herself on the right-hand of Mrs. Frontley, alledging for her excufe, that no ceremony was to be used at a round table; that Mrs. Fidget and Mrs. Fefcue difputed above half an hour for the fame chair, and that the latter would would not give up the caufe until it was decided by the Parish Register, which happened to be kept hard by. The indictment further faith, that the reft of the company who fat down did it with a referve to their Right, which they were at liberty to affert on another occafion; and that Mrs. Mary Pippe, an old maid, was placed by the unanimous vote of the whole company at the upper end of the Table, from whence fhe had the confufion to behold feveral mothers of families among her inferiors. The criminal alledged in his defence, That what he had done was to raise mirth, and avoid ceremony; and that the Ladies did not complain of his rudenels until the next morning, having eaten up what he had provided for them with great readiness and alacrity. The Cenfor, frowning upon him, told him, that he ought not to discover fo much levity in matters of a ferious nature; and, upon the Jury's bringing him in guilty, fentenced him to treat the whole affembly of Ladies over again, and to take care that he did it with the decorum which was due to perfons of their Qua·lity. Rebecca Shapely, Spinfter, was indicted by Mrs. Sarah Smack, for fpeaking many words reflecting upon her re"putation, and the heels of her filk flippers, which the prifoner had maliciously fuggefted to be two inches higher than they really were. The profecutor urged, as an aggravation of her guilt, that the prifoner was herself guilty of the fame kind of forgery which the had laid to the profecutor's charge, for that the the faid Rebecca Shapely did always wear a pair of fteel-bodice, and a falfe rump. The Cenfor ordered the flippers to be produced in open court, where the heels were adjudged to be of the ftatutable fize. He then ordered the grand Jury to fearch the criminal, who, after fome time spent therein, acquitted her of the bodice, but found her guilty of the rump; upon which the received fentence 'as is ufual in fuch cafes. William Trippet, Efquire, of the Middle Temple, brought his action against the Lady Elizabeth Prudely, for having refused him her hand as he offered to lead her to her coach from the Opera. The plaintiff fet forth, that he had entered himself into the list of those volunteers, who officiate officiate every night behind the boxes as Gentlemen ufhers of the Play-houfe: That he had been at a confiderable charge in white gloves, periwigs, and fnuffboxes, in order to qual fy himfelf for that employment, and in hopes of making his fortune by it. The council for the defendant replied, that the plaintiff had given cut that he was within a month of wedding their client, and that he had refufed her hand to him in ceremony, left he should interpret it as a promife that he would give it him in marriage. As foon as their pleadings on both fides were finished, the Cenfor ordered the plaintiff to be cafhiered from his Office of Gentleman-ufher to the Play-house, fince it was too plain that he had undertaken it with an ill defign; and at the fame time ordered the defendant either to marry the faid plaintiff, or to pay him half a crown for the new pair of gloves and coach-hire, that he was at the expence of in her fervice. The Lady Townly brought an action of debt againft Mrs. Flambeau, for that the faid Mrs. Flambeau had not been to fee the Lady Townly, and with her joy, fince her marriage with Sir Ralph, notwithstanding the the faid Lady Townly had paid Mrs. Flambeau a vifit upon her first coming to town. It was urged in the behalf of the defendant, that the plaintiff had never given her any regular notice of her being in town: that the vifit fhe alledged had been made on a Monday, which the knew was a day on which Mrs. Flambeau was always abroad, having fet afide that only day in the week to mind the affairs of her family: That the fervant, who enquired whether he was at home, did not give the vifiting knock that it was not between the hours of five and eight in the evening: that there were no candles lighted up that it was not on Mrs. Flambeau's day: and, in fort, that there was not one of the effential points obferved that conftitute a vifit. She further proved by her porter's book, which was produced in Court, that she had paid the Lady Townly a vifit on the twenty-fourth day of March, juft before her leaving the town, in the year feventeen hundred and nine-ten, for which the was ftill creditor to the faid Lady Townly. To this the plaintiff only replied, that fhe was now under covert, and not : liable to any debts contracted when fhe was a fingle woman. Mr. Bickerstaff-finding the caufe to be very intri cate, and that feveral points of Honour were likely to arife in it, he deferred giving judgment upon it until the next feffion day, at which time he ordered the Ladies on his left-hand to prefent to the Court a table of all the. laws relating to visits. Winifred Leer brought her action against Richard Sly, for having broken a marriage-contract, and wedded another woman, after he had engaged himself to marry the faid Winifred Leer. She alledged, that he had ogled her twice at an Opera, thrice in Saint James's church, and once at Powel's puppet-fhow, at which time he promifed her marriage by a fide-glance, as her friend could testify that fat by her. Mr. Bickerstaff finding that the defendant had made no further overture of love or marriage, but by looks and ocular engagement; yet at the fame time confidering how very apt fuch impudent feducers are to lead the Ladies hearts aftray, ordered the criminal to stand upon the ftage in the Hay market, between each Act of the next Opera, there to be exposed to public view as à falfe Ogler. Upon the rifing of the court, Mr. Bickerstaff having taken one of the counterfeits in the very fact as he was ogling a Lady of the grand Jury, ordered him to be feized, and profecuted upon the ftatute of ogling. He likewife directed the clerk of the Court to draw up an edict against thefe common cheats, that make women believe they are diftra&ted for them by ftaring them out of countenance, and often blaft a Lady's reputation, whom they never spoke to, by faucy looks and diftant familiarities. Thursday, |