Sex, and folicit the lewd of ours. There are those who have abandoned the very memory, not only of innocence, but fhame. There are thofe who never forgave, nor could ever bear being forgiven. There are those alfo who vifit the beds of the fick, lull the cares of the forrowful, and double the joys of the joyful. Such is the deftroying fiend, fuch the guardian-angel, woman. The way to have a greater number of the amiable part of womankind, and leffen the crowd of the other fort, to contribute what we can to the fuccefs of well-grounded paffions; and therefore I comply with the requeft of an enamoured man, in inferting the following Billet: .. 86 MADAM, M R. Bickerftoff you always read, though me you will never hear. I am obliged therefore to his "compaffion for the opportunity of imploring yours"I figh for the most accomplished of her Sex. That is "fo just a diftinction of her, to whom I write, that the owning I think fo is no distinction of me, who write. "Your good qualities are peculiar to you; my admira"tion is common with thousands. I fhall be prefent "when you read this; but fear every woman will take "it for her character, fooner than fhe who deferves it." If the next Letter, which prefents itself, fhould come from the Miftrefs of this modeft Lover, and I make them break through the oppreffion of their paffions, I fhall expect gloves at their nuptials. 66 Mr. BICKERSTAFF, Y OU, that are a Philofopher, know very well the make of the mind of women, and can beft "inftruct me in the conduct of an affair which highly concerns me. I never can admit my Lover to speak to me of love; yet think him impertinent when he "offers to talk of any thing elfe. What fhall I do with a man that always believes me? It is a ftrange thing, "this distance in men of fenfe! why do not they always 66 urge their fate? If we are fincere in our feverity, you 66 lofe nothing by attempting. If we are hypocrites, 6 you certainly fucceed." From my own Apartment, July 21. Before I withdraw from bufinefs for the night, it is my custom to receive all addreffes to me, that others may go to reft as well as myfelf, at leaft as far as I can contribute to it. When I called to know if any would speak with me, I was informed that Mr. Mills, the Player, defired to be admitted. He was fo; and with much modefty acquainted me, as he did other people of note, that Hamlet was to be acted on Wednesday next for his benefit. I had long wanted to fpeak with this perfon; because I thought I could admonish him of many things, which would tend to his improvement. In the general I obferved to him, that though Action was his business, the way to that action was not to study gefture; for the behaviour would follow the fentiments of the mind. Action to the Player is what fpeech is to an Orator. If the matter be well conceived, words will flow with eafe: And if the Actor is well poffeffed of the nature of his part, a proper action will neceffarily follow. He informed me, that Wilks was to ac Hamlet: 1 defired him to request of him in my name, that he would wholly forget Mr. Betterton, for that he failed in no part of Othello, but where he had him in view. An Actor's forming himself by the carriage of another is like the trick among the widows, who lament their husbands as the neighbours did theirs, and not according to their own fentiments of the deceased. There is a fault alfo in the audience, which interrupts their fatisfaction very much; that is, the figuring to themselves the Actor in fome part wherein they formerly particularly liked him, and not attending to the part he is at that time performing. Thus, whatever Wilks, who is the ftri&teft follower of Nature, is acting, the vulgar fpectators turn their thoughts upon Sir Harry Wildair. When I had indulged the loquacity of an old man for fome time, in fome loofe hints, I took my leave of Mr., Mills; and was told, Mr. Elliot of Saint James's Coffeehoufe would speak with me. His bufinefs was to defire I I would, as I am an Aftrologer, let him know beforehand, who were to have the benefit tickets in the enfuing lottery; which knowledge he was of opinion he could turn to great account, as he was concerned in News. I granted his requeft, upon an oath of fecrecy, that he would only make his own ufe of it, and not let it be publicly known until after they were drawn. I had not done fpeaking, when he produced to me a plan which he had formed of keeping books, with the names of all fuch adventurers, and the numbers of their tickets, as fhould come to him; in order to give an hourly account of what tickets fhall come up during the whole time of the lottery, the drawing of which is to begin on Wednesday next. I liked his method of difguifing the fecret had told him; and pronounced him a thriving man, who could fo well watch the motions of things, and profit by a prevailing humour and impatience fo aptly, as to make his honeft industry agreeable to his cuftomers, as it is to be the meffenger of their good fortune. ADVERTISEMENT, From the Trumpet in Sheer-lane, July 20. "Ordered, that for the improvement of the pleasures of fociety, a member of this houfe, one of the most wakeful of the foporific affembly beyond Smithfieldbars, and one of the order of story-tellers in Holborn, may meet and exchange ftale matter, and report the "fame to their principals. દર "N. B. No man is to tell above one story in the fame evening; but has liberty to tell the fame the night following. "Mr. Bickerstaff defires his love-correfpondents to vary the names they shall affume in their future Letfor that he is overstocked with Philanders." ters; Thursday, N° 202. Tuesday, July 25, 1710. -Eft bic, E Ulubris, animus fi te non deficit æquus. HOR. Ep. 11. lib. 1. ver. ult. True happiness is to no fpot confin'd; T R. WYNNE. From my own Apartment, July 24. HIS afternoon I went to vifit a Gentleman of my acquaintance at Mile-End; and paffing through Stepney church-yard, I could not forbear entertaining myfelf with the infcriptions on the tombs and graves. Among others, I obferved one with this notable memorial: 'Here lies the Body of T. B.' This fantastical defire, of being remembered only by the two first letters of a name, led me into the contemplation of the vanity and imperfect attainments of ambition in general. When I ran back in my imagination all the men whom I have ever known and converfed with in my whole life, there are but very few who have not ufed their faculties in the purfuit of what it is impoffible to acquire; or left the poffeffion of what they might have been, at their fetting out, mafters, to fearch for it where it was out of their reach. In this thought it was not poffible to forget the inftance of Pyrrhus, who propofing to himself in difcourfe with a Philofopher, one, and another, and another conqueft, was asked, what he would do after all that? then, fays the king, we will make merry. He was well answered, what hinders your doing that in the condition you are already. The reftVOL. IV. D lefs 50 lefs defire of exerting themselves above the common level of mankind is not to be refifted in fome tempers; and minds of this make may be observed in every condition of life. Where fuch men do not make to themselves, or meet with employment, the foil of their conftitution runs into tares and weeds. An old friend of mine, who loft a Major's post forty years ago, and quitted, has ever fince ftudied maps, encampments, retreats, and countermarches; with no other defign but to feed his spleen and ill-humour, and furnish himself with matter for arguing against all the fuccefsful actions of others. He that, at his firft fetting out in the world, was the gayeft man in our regiment; ventured his life with alacrity, and enjoyed it with fatisfaction; encouraged men below him, and was courted by men above him, has been ever fince the most froward creature breathing. His warm complexion fpends itfelf now only in a general fpirit of contradiction; for which he watches all occafions, and is in his converfation ftill upon centry, treats all men like enemies, with every other impertinence of a speculative warrior. He, that obfèrves in himfelf this natural inquietude, fhould take all imaginable care to put his mind in fome method of gratification; or he will foon find himself grow into the condition of this difappointed Major. Inftead of courting proper occafions to rife above others, he will be ever ftudious of pulling others down to him: It being the common refuge of difappointed Ambition, to ease themselves by detraction. It would be no great argument again ft Ambition, that there are fuch mortal things in the difappointment of it; but it certainly is a forcible exception, that there can be no folid happiness in the fuccefs of it. If we value popular praife, it is in the power of the meanest of the people to disturb us by calumny. If the fame of being happy, we cannot look into a village, but we fee crouds in actual poffeffion of what we feek only the appearance. To this may be added, that there is I know not what malignity in the minds of ordinary men, to oppofe you in what they fee you fond of; and it is a certain exception against a man's receiving applause, that he vifibly courts it. However, this is not only the paffion of great and undertaking Spirits ; |