me, Whether a Fame increased by Impofition of others is to be added to his Account, or that these Excrescencies, which grow out of his real Reputation, and give Encouragement to others to pafs Things under the Covert of his Name, fhould be confidered in giving him his Seat in the Chamber? This Punctilio is referred to. the Learned. In the mean time, fo ill-natured are Mankind, that I believe I have Names already fent me fufficient to fill Lifts for the dark Room, and every up my one is apt enough to fend in their Accounts of ill Defervers, This Malevolence does not proceed from a real Dislike of Virtue, but a diabolical Prejudice against it, which makes Men willing to deftroy what they care not to imitate. Thus you fee the greatest Characters among your Acquaintance, and thofe you live with, are traduced by all below them in Virtue, who never mention them but with an Exception. However, I believe I fhall not give the World much Trouble about filling my Tables for thofe of evil Fame,for I have fome Thoughts of clapping up the Sharpers there as fast as I can lay hold of them.

Ar prefent, I am employed in looking over the fe veral Notices which I have received of their Manner of Dexterity, and the Way at Dice of making all Rugg, as the Cant is. The whole Art of fecuring a Die, has lately been fent me by a Perfon who was of the Fraternity, but is difabled by the Lofs of a Finger, by which Means he cannot practice that Trick as he used to do. But I am very much at a Lofs how to call fome of the Fair Sex, who are Accomplices with the Knights of Induftry; for my Metaphorical Dogs are eafily enough understood; but the Feminine Gender of Dogs has fo harfh a Sound, that we know not how to name it. I am credibly informed, that there are Female Dogs as voracious as the Males, and make Advances to young Fellows, without any other Defign but coming to a Familiarity with their Purfes. I have alfo long Lifts of Perfons of Condition, who are certainly of the fame Regimen with thefe Banditti, and inftrumental to their Cheats upon undifcerning Men of their own Rank. Thefe add their good Reputation to carry on the Impoftures of others, whofe very Names would elfe be De

But

fence

But for

fence enough against falling into their Hands.
the Honour of our Nation, thefe fhall be unmentio
ned, provided we hear no more of fuch Practices, and
that they fhall not from henceforward fuffer the Society
of fuch, as they know to be the common Enemies of
Order, Difcipline, and Virtue. If it appear that they
go on in encouraging them, they must be proceeded
against according to the fevereft Rules of Hiftory,
where all is to be laid before the World with Impartia
lity, and without Refpect to Perfons.

So let the ftricken Deer go weep.
Will's Coffee-boufe, September 14.

I find left for me here the following Epistle.
SIR,

H

AVING lately read your Difcourfe about the Family of Trubies, wherein you observe, that there are fome who fall into Laughter out of a certain Benevolence in their Temper, and not out of the ordinary Motive, viz. Contempt and Triumph over the Imperfections of others; I have conceived a good idea of your Knowledge of Mankind. And as you have a Tragi-comic Genius, I beg the Favour of you to give us your Thoughts of a quite different Effect which alfo is caufed by other Motives than what are commonly ta ken Notice of. What I would have you treat of, is, the Caufe of fhedding Tears. I defire you would difcufs it a little, with Obfervations upon the various Occafions which provoke us to that Expreffion of our Concern, &c.

To obey this complaifant Gentleman, I know no Way fo fhort as examining the various Touches of my Own Bofom, on feveral Occurences in a long Life, to the Evening of which I am arrived after as many vari ous Incidents as any Body has met with. I have often reflected, that there is a great Similitude in the Motions of the Heart in Mirth and in Sorrow; and I think the ufual Occafion of the latter, as well as the former, is fomething which is fudden and unexpected. The Mind has not a fufficient Time to recollect its Force, and immediately gufhes into Tears before we can utter our felves by Speech or Complaint. The most notorious Caufes of thefe Drops from our Eyes, are Pity, Sorrow, Joy, and Reconciliation.

THE

THE Fair Sex who are made of Man and not of Earth, have a more delicate Humanity than we have, and Pity is the most common Caufe of their Tears: For as we are inwardly compofed of an Aptitude to every Circumftance of Life, and every Thing that be falls any one Perfon, might have happened to any other of human Race; Self-love, and a Senfe of the Pain we ourselves fhould fuffer in the Circumftances of any whom we pity, is the Caufe of that Compaffion. Such a Reflection in the Breast of a Woman, immediately inclines her to Tears; but in a Man, it makes him think, how fuch a one ought to act on that Occasion, suitably to the Dignity of his Nature. Thus a Woman is ever

moved for thofe whom he hears lament, and a Man but for those whom he obferves to fuffer in Silence. It is a Man's own Behaviour in the Circumstances he is under, which procures him the Efteem of others, and not meerly the Affliction it felf which demands our Pity; for we never give a Man that Paffion which he falls into for himself. He that commends himself, never purchases our Applaufe; nor he who bewails himfelf, our Pity.

GOING through an Alley the other Day, I obfer ved a noify impudent Beggar bawl out, That he was wounded in a Merchant-man, That he had loft his poor Limbs, and fhew'd a Leg clouted up. All that paffed by, made what hafte they could out of his Sight and Hearing; but a poor Fellow at the End of the Paffage, with a rufty Coat, a melancholy Air, and a foft Voice, defired them to look upon a Man not used to beg. The latter received the Charity of almost every one that went by. The Strings of the Heart, which are to be touched to give us Compaffion, are not fo play'd on but by the fineft Hand. We fee in Tragical Reprefentations, it is not the Pomp of Language, or Magni ficence of Drefs, in which the Paffion is wrought that touches fenfible Spirits, but fomething of a plain and fimple Nature which breaks in upon our Souls, by that Sympathy which is given us for our mutual Good-will and Service.

IN the Tragedy of Mackbeth, where Wilks acts the Part of a Man whofe Family has been murder'd in his +

Ab.

Abfence, the Wildness of his Paffion, which is run over in a Torrent of calamitous Circumftances, does but raife mySpirits, and give me the Alarm; but when he skilfully feems to be out of Breath, and is brought too low to fay more; and upon a fecond Reflection, cries, only wiping his Eyes, What, both Children! Both, both my Children gone! There is no refifting a Sorrow which feems to have caft about for all the Reafons poffible for its Confolation, but has no Recourse.

There is not one left, but both, both are murdered! Such fudden Starts from the Thread of the Difcourfe, and a plain Sentiment expreffed in an artless Way, are the irrefiftible Strokes of Eloquence and Poetry. The fame great Mafter, Shakespear, can afford us Inftances of all the Places where our Souls are acceffible, and ever commands our Tears. But it is to be observed, that he draws them from fome unexpected Source, which feems not wholly of a Piece with the Difcourfe. Thus, when Brutus and Caffius had a Debate in the Tragedy of Cafar, and rofe to warm Language against each other, infomuch that it had almoft come to fomething that might be fatal, till they recollected themfelves; Brutus does more than make an Apology for the Heat he had been in, by faying, Porcia is dead Here Caffius is all Tenderneís, and ready to diffolve, when he confiders, that the Mind of his Friend had been employed on the greatest Affliction imaginable, when he had been adding to it by a Debate on Trifles; which makes him in the Anguifh of his Heart cry out, How fcaped I killing when Ithus provoked you? This is an Incident which moves the Soul in all its Sentiments: and Caffius's Heart was at once touched with all the foft Pangs of Pity, Remorfe, and Reconciliation. It is faid indeed by Horace, If you would have me weep, you must first weep your felf. This is not literally true, for it would have been as rightly faid, If you do obferve Nature, That I fhall certainly weep, if do not: you But what is intended by that Expreffion, is, That it is not poffible to give Paffion, except you fhew that you fuffer your felf. Therefore the true Art feems to be, that when you would have the Perfon you reprefent pitied, you must Lew him at once, in the higheft Grief, and ftruggling

to bear it with Decency and Patience. In this Cafe, we figh for him, and give him every Groan he fuppreffes.

I remember, when I was young enough to follow the Sports of the Field, I have more than once rode off at the Death of a Deer, when I have seen the Animal in an Affliction which appeared humane, without the leaft Noife, let fall Tears when he was reduced to Extremity; and I have thought of the Sorrow I faw him in when his Haunch came to the Table. But our Tears are not given only to Objects of Pity, but the Mind has Recourfe to that Relief on all Occasions which give us much Emotion. Thus to be apt to fhed Tears, is a Sign of a great as well as little Spirit. I have heard fay, the prefent Pope never paffes through the People, who always kneel in Crowds, and ask his Benediction, but the Tears are feen to flow from his Eyes. This must proceed from an Imagination, that he is the Father of all thofe People, and that he is touched with fo extenfive a Benevolence, that it breaks out into a Paffion of Tears. You fee Friends, who have been long absent, tranfported in the fame Manner: A Thousand little Images crowd upon them at their Meetings, as all the Joys and Griefs they have known during their Separation; and in one Hurry of Thought, they conceive how they should have participated in thofe Occafions; and weep, because their Minds are too full to wait the flow Expreffion of Words.

His Lacrymis Vitam damus, & miferefcimus ultro.

There is lately broke loofe from the London Pack, a very tall dangerous Biter. He is now at the Bath, and it is feared will make a damnable Havock amongst the Game. His Manner of Biting is new, and he is called the Top. He fe Cures one Die betwixt his two Fingers: The other is fixed, by the Help of a famous Wax invented by an Apothecary, fince a Gamefter, a little of which he puts upon his Fore-fin. ger, and that holds the Die in the Box at his Devotion. Great Sums have been lately won by thefe Ways; but 'tis hoped, that this Hint of his Manner of Cheating will open the Eyes of many who are every Day impofed upon.

There is now in the Prefs, and will be fuddenly publish'd, a Book entituled, An Appendix to the Contempt of the VOL. II.

F

Clergy;