in May fhall be tricked up with gold or filver to keep "company with ruftics, and ride in the rain.

"All which premises your petitioners humbly pray you to take into your confideration, and either to ap point a day in your Court of Honour, when all pretenders to the galloon may enter their claims, and "have them approved or rejected, or to give us fach "other relief as to your great wisdom shall seem meet. And your Petitioners, &c.

Order my friend near Temple bar, the Author of the Hunting-cock, to affift the Court when this petition is read, of which Mr. Lillie to give him notice.

་

To ISAAC BICKERSTAFF, Efquire, Cenfor of Great Britain.

The humble petition of Elizabeth Slender, Spinfler,

SHEWETH,

TH

"

HAT on the twentieth of this instant December, her friend Rebecca Hide and your Petitioner walking in the Strand, faw a Gentleman before us in a gown, whofe periwig was fo long, and fo much "powdered, that your Petitioner took notice of it, and faid, fhe wondered that Lawyer would fo fpoil a new "gown with powder. To which it was answered, that "he was no Lawyer, but a Clergyman. Upon a wager "of a pot of coffee we overtook him, and your Peti ❝tioner was foon convinced fhe had loft..

"Your Petitioner therefore defires your Worship to "cite the Clergyman before you, and to fettle and adjust the length of canonical periwigs, and the quan"tity of powder to be made use of in them, and to give "fuch other directions as you shall think fit,

ན

And your Petitioner, &C.

"Query. Whether this Gentleman be not a Chaplain "to a regiment, and in such case allow powder accordingly."

After

After all that can be thought on thefe fubjects, I muft confefs, that the men who drefs with a certain ambition to appear more than they are, are much more excufable than thofe who betray, in the adorning their perfons, a fecret vanity and inclination to fhine in things, wherein if they did fucceed, it would rather leffen than advance their character. For this reafon I am more provoked at the allegations relating to the Clergyman, than any other hinted at in thefe complaints. I have indeed a long time, with much concern, obferved abundance of Pretty Fellows in facred orders, and shall in due time let them know, that I pretend to give Ecclefiaftical as well as Civil cenfures. A man well-bred and welldrefied in that habit, adds to the facredness of his function an agreeableness not to be met with among the laity. I own I have spent fome evenings among the men of wit of that profeffion with an inexpreffible delight. Their habitual care of their character gives fuch a chaftisement to their fancy, that all which they utter in company is as much above what you meet with in other converfation, as the charms of a modeft, are fuperior to thofe of a light woman. I therefore earnestlydefire our young miffionaries from the Universities to confider where they are, and not drefs, and look, and move like young Officers. It is no disadvantage to have a very handfome white hand; but were I to preach repentance to a gallery of Ladies, I would, methinks, keep my gloves on: I have an unfeigned affection to the clafs of mankind appointed to ferve at the altar, therefore am in danger of running out of my way, and growing too ferious on this occafion; for which reafon I thall end with the following Epiftle, which, by my interest in Tom Trot the penny-poft, I procured a copy of.

¢

To the Reverend Mr. Ralph Incense, Chaplain to the Countefs Dowager of Brumpton.

SIR

"I Heard and faw you preach laft Sunday. I am an ignorant young woman, and understood not half ", you faid: But ah! your manner, when you held up

P 3

"both

"both your bands towards our pew Did you defign " to win me to Heaven or yourself? :

Your humble fervant,

Penitence Gentle

ADVERTISEMENT.

"Mr. Proctorfaff of Clare-hall in Cambridge, is re"ceived as a kinfman, according to his request, bearing date the twentieth inftant.

"The diftreffed fon of Efculapius is defired to be "i more particular."

N° 271. Tuesday, January 2, 1710.

TH

HE Printer having informed me, That there are as many of thefe Papers printed as will make four Volumes, I am now come to the end of my ambition in this matter, and have nothing further to fay to the world under the character of Isaac Bickerstaff. This work has indeed for fome time been difagreeable to me, and the purpose of it wholly loft by my being fo long understood as the Author. I never defigned in it to give any man any fecret wound by my concealment, but fpoke in the character of an old Man, a Philofopher, an Humourift, an Aftrologer, and a Cenfor, to allure my reader with the variety of my fubjects, and infinuate, if I could, the weight of reafon with the agreeablenefs of wit. The general purpofe of the whole has been to recommend Truth, Innocence, Honour, and Virtue, as the chief ornaments of life; but I confidered, that feverity of manners was abfolutely neceffary to him who would cenfure others, and for that reason, and that only, chofe to talk in a mask. I fhall not carry my humility fo far as to call myfelf a vicious man, but at the fame time muft confefs, my life is at beft but pardonable. And with

no

no greater character than this, a man would make but an indifferent progrefs in attacking prevailing and fashionable vices, which Mr. Bickerstaff has done with a freedom of fpirit that would have loft both its beauty and efficacy, had it been pretended to by Mr. Steele.

As to the work itself, the acceptance it has met with is the best proof of its value; but I fhould err against that candour which an honeft man fhould always carry about him, if I did not own that the most approved pieces in it were written by others, and those which have been moft excepted againft, by myself. The hand that has affifted me in thofe noble difcourfes upon the immortality of the Soul, the glorious profpects of another life, and the moft fublime ideas of religion and virtue, is a perfon who is too fondly my friend ever to own them; but I should little deferve to be his, if I ufurped the glory of them. I muft acknowledge at the fame time, I think the fineft ftrokes of wit and humour in Mr. BickerAaff's Lucubrations, are thofe for which he alfo is beholden to him.

As for the fatirical part of thefe writings, thofe against the Gentlemen who profefs gaming are the moft licentious; but the main of them I take to come from losing gamefters, as invectives against the fortunate; for in very many of them I was very little elfe but the tranfcriber. If any have been more particularly marked at, fuch perfons may impute it to their own behaviour, before they were touched upon, in publicly fpeaking their refentment against the Author, and profeffing they would fupport any man who fhould infult him. When I mention this fubject, I hope Major-general Davenport, Brigadier Biffet, and my Lord Forbes, will accept of my thanks for their frequent good offices, in profeffing their readiness to partake any danger that fhould befal me in fo just an undertaking, as the endeavour to banish fraud and cozenage from the prefence and conversation of Gentlemen.

But what I find is the leaft excufable part of all this work is, that I have in fome places in it touched upon matters which concern both Church and State. All I fhall fay for this is, that the points I alluded to are such

as concerned every Chriftian and Freeholder in England; and I could not be cold enough to conceal my opinion on fubjects which related to either of thofe characters. But politics apart. I must confefs, it has been a moft exquifite pleafare to me to frame characters of domestic life, and put thofe parts of it which are least observed into an agreeable view; to enquire into the feeds of vanity and affectation, to lay before the readers the emptinefs of ambition: In a word, to trace human life through all its mazes and recesses, and fhew much shorter methods than men ordinarily practife, to be happy, agreeable, and great.

But to enquire into men's faults and weaknesses has fomething in it fo unwelcome, that I have often feen people in pain to act before me, whose modefty only makes them think themselves liable to censure. This, and a thousand other nameless things, have made it an irkfome talk to me to perfonate Mr. Bickerstaff, any longer; and I believe it does not often happen, that the reader is delighted where the Author is difpleased.

All I can now do for the further gratification of the town, is to give them a faithful explication of paffages and allufions, and fometimes of perfons intended in the feveral fcattered parts of the work. At the fame time, I shall difcover which of the whole have been written by me, and which by others, and by whom, as far as I am able, or permitted *.

Thus I have voluntarily done what I think all Authors fhould do, when called upon. I have published my name to my writings, and given myfelf up to the mercy of the town, as Shakespear expreffes it, with all my imperfections on my head. The indulgent reader's

moft obliged,

moft obedient,

humble fervant,

RICHARD STEELE.

This is done in the Preface to this Volume.