fore undergone three feveral operations of the like nature with great refignation and fortitude,

There was an order iffued, that the chaplains of the feveral regiments should attend their duty; but as they were difperfed about in several parts of England, it was believed, that most of them could not be found, or fo much as heard of, till the great day was over.

Most of the confiderable PHYSICIANS, by their outward demeanor, feemed to be unbelievers; but at the fame time, they every where infinuated, that there might be a peftilential malignancy in the air, occafioned by the comet, which might be arined against by proper and timely medicines. This caution had but little effect; for as the time approached, the Chriftian refignation o f the people increased, and most of them (which was never before known) had their fouls more at heart than their bodies.

If the reverend CLERGY fhowed more concern than others, I charitably impute it to their great charge of fouls; and what confirmed me in this opinion was, that the degrees of apprehenfion and terror could be diltin guifhed to be greater or lefs, according to their ranks, and degrees in the church.

The like might be observed in all forts of minifters, though not of the church of England; the higher their rank, the more was their fear.

I fpeak not of the COURT, for fear of offence; and I forbear inferting the names of particular perfons, to a void the imputation of flander, so that the reader will allow the narrative must be deficient, and is therefore defired to accept hereof, rather as a sketch than a regular circumftantial biftory.

I was not informed of any perfons, who fhewed the leaft joy, except three malefactors, who were to be exe. cuted on the Monday following, and one old man, a conftant church-goer, who, being at the point of death, expreft fome fatisfaction at the news.

On Thursday morning there was little or nothing tranf afted in Change-alley; there were a multitude of fellers, but fo few buyers, that one cannot affirm the stocks bore any certain price, except among the Jews, who this day reaped great profit by their infidelity. There were many

Gog 3..

who.

who called themfelves Chriftians, who offered to buy for time, but as the'e were people of great diftinction, I chule not to mention them, becaufe in effect it would feen to accufe them both of av rice, and infidelity.

The run upon the bank is too well known to need a particular relation; for it never can be forgotten, that no one perfon whatever (except the directors themtelves, and fome of their particular friends and affeciates), could convert a bill all that day into specie; all hands being. employed to ferve them.

In the feveral churches of the city and fuburbs there were feveu thoufand two hundred and forty-five, who publicly and folemaly declar d be ore the congregation, that they took to wife their feveral kept mifreffes, which was allowed as valid marriage, the priest not having time. to pronounce the ceremony in form.

*

At St Brides's church in Fleetftreet, Mr Woolfton (who writ against the miracles of our Saviour), in the utmost terrors of confience, made a public recantation. Dr Miedevil (who had been groundlessly reported former ly to have done the fame) did it now in good earnest, at St James's gate; as did alfo at the Temple church feveral gentlenen, who frequent coffee houfes near the bar. So great was the fith and fear of two of them, that they dropt dead on the fpot; but I will not record their names, left I should be thought invidiously to lay an odi un on their families and pofterity.

Most of the players, who had very little faith before, were now defirous of having as much as they could, and therefore embraced the Roman Catholic religion; the fame thing was obferved of fome bawds and ladies of pleafure.

An Irish gentleman, out of pure friendship, came to make me a vifit, and advited me to hire a boat for the enfuing day, and told me, that unless I gave earnest for one immediately, he feared it might be too late; for his country-men had secured almost every boat upon the ri

* Author of The fable of the bees, a book intended to fubvert not only religion but virtue, by fhewing that private vices are public benefits.

ver, as judging that, in the general conflagration, to be upon the water would be the fafest place.

There were two lords, and three commoners, who, out of a fcruple of confcience, very baftily threw up their penfions, as imagining a penfion was only an annual retain. ing bribe. All the other great penfioners, I was told, had their fcruples quieted by a clergyman or two of diftinction, whom they happily confulted.

It was remarkable, that feveral of our very richest tradefmen of the city, in common charity, gave away fhillings and fixpences to the beggars, who plyed about thec hurch-doors; and, at a particular church in the city, a wealthy church warden, with his own hands diftribut ed fifty twelve penny loaves to the poor, by way of resti. tution for the many great and coftly feafts which he had eaten of at their expence.

Three great ladies, a valet de chambre, two lords, a cuftom-houfe officer, five half-pay captains, and a baronet (all noted gameflers), came publicly into a church at Westminifter, and depofited a very confiderable fum of money in the minifter's hands; the parties, whom they had defrauded, being either out of town, or not to be found. But fo great is the hardness of heart of this fraternity, that among either the noble, or vulgar gamefters, (tho the profeflion is fo general), I did not hear of any other reftitution of this fort. At the fame time I muft obferve, that (in comparison of thefe) through all parts of the town, the justice and penitence of the highway-men, house breakers, and common pick pockets, was very re

markable.

The directors of our public companies were in fuch dreadful apprehenfions, that one would have thought a parliamentary inquiry was at hand; yet fo great was their prefence of mind, that all the Thurday morning was taken up in private transfers, which, by malicious people, was thought to be done with defign to conceal their ef fects.

I forbear mentioning the private confeffions of particu lar ladies to their husbands; for as their children were born in wedlock, and of confequence are legitimate, it would be an invidious tafk to record them as baftards;

and particularly after their feveral husbands have fo cha ritably forgiven them.

The evening and night through the whole town were fpent in devotions both public and private; the churches, for this one day, were fo crouded by the nobility and gen try, that thousands of common people were seen praying in the public streets. In short, one would have thought the whole town had been really and seriously religious. But what was very remarkable, all the different perfuafions kept by themselves, for as each thought the other would be damned, not one would join in prayer with the other.

At length Friday came, and the people covered all the streets; expecting, watching, and praying. But as the day wore away, their fears firft began to abate, then Jeffened every hour; at night they were almost extinct, till the total dark nefs, that hitherto used to terrify, now comforted every free-thinker and atheist. Great numbers went together to the taverns, bespoke fuppers, and broke up whole hog fheads for joy. The subject of all wit and converfation was to ridicule the prophecy, and raiHy each other. All the quality and gentry were perfectly afhamed, nay, fome utterly disowned that they had manifefted any figns of religion.

But the next day even the common people, as well astheir betters, appeared in their usual state of indifference. They drank, they whored, they fwore, they lyed, they cheated, they plundered, they gained, they quarrelled, they murdered. In short, the world went on in the old channel.

I need not give any inftances of what will be fo eafily credited ; but I cannot omit relating, that Mr. Woolfton advertised in that very Saturday's Evening Poft, a new treatife against the miracles of our Saviour; and that the few who had given up their penfions the day before, folicited to have them continued; which, as they had not been thrown up upon any ministerial point, I am informed was read.ly granted.

The

From Tuesday, Jan. 23. to Saturday, Jan 27: 1710.

A

MONGST other services I have met with from

fome critics, the cruellest for an old man is, that they will not let me be at quiet in my bed, but purfue me to my very dreams. I must not dream but when they please, nor upon long, continued fubjects, however visionary in their own natures; because there is a manifest moral quite through them, which to produce as a dream

* N. B. The two following Tatlers are not in the four volumes published by Sir Richard Steele.

In the preface to the Tatler, vol. iv. Sir Richard Steele speaks thus of Dr. Swift. "I have, in the dedication of the first volume, made my acknowledgments to Dr. SWIFT; whose pleafant writings, in the name of Bickerftoff, created an inclination in the town towards any thing that could appear in the fame difguife. I must acknowlege alfo, that, at my first entering upon this work, a certain uncommon way of thinking, and a turn in converfation peculiar to that agreeable gentleman, ren"dered his company very advantageous to one, whofe imagina"tion was to be continually employed upon obvious and common subjects, tho' at the fame time obliged to treat of them in a new "and unbeaten method. His verfes on the Shower in town, and "the Defcription of the morning, are instances of the happiness of * that genius, which could raise such pleasing ideas upon occafifo barren to an ordinary invention,”

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ons