ay,

Will's, under Twopence each Day merely for his Charges; to White's, under Sixpence; nor to the Græcian, without allowing him fome Plain Spanifh, to be as able as others at the Learned Table; and that a good Obferver cannot speak with even Kidney at St. James's without clean Linnen. I Say, thele Confiderations will, I hope, make all Perfons willing to comply with my Humble Request (when my Gratis Stock is exhaufted) of a Penny 5a-piece; especially fince they are fure of Some proad per Amusement, and that it is impoffible for me al to want Means to entertainem, having, befides the Force of my own Parts, the Power of Divination, and that I can, by cafting a Figure, tell you all that will happen before it comes to pass.

d

But this laft Faculty I shall use very sparingly, and Speak but of few Things 'till they are paffed for fear of divulging Matters which may offend our Superiors.

THE

White's Chocolate-boufe, April 7.

HE deplorable Condition of a very pretty Gentleman, who walks here at the Hours when Men of Quality first appear, is what is very much lamented. His Hiftory is, That on the 9th of September 1705. being in his One and twentieth Year, he was washing his Teeth at a Tavern Window in Pall-mall, when a fine Equipage paffed by, and in it a young Lady who looked up at him; away goes the Coach, and the young Gentleman pulled off his Nightcap, and instead of rubbing his Gums, as bre ought to do out of the Window till about Four a Clock, fits him down, and spoke not a Word till Twelve at Night; after which, he began to enquire, If any Body knew the Lady-The Company asked, What Lady? But he faid

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no more, till they broke up at Six in the Morning. All the enfuing Winter he went from Church to Church every Sunday, and from Playhoufe to Playhoufe every Night in the Week, but could never find the Original of the Picture which dwelt in his Bofom. In a Word, his Attention to any Thing but his Paffion, was utterly gone. He has loft all the Money he ever played for, and been confuted in every Argument he has enter'd upon fince the Moment he firft faw her. He is of a Noble Family; has naturally a very goud Air, and is of a frank, honeft Temper: But this Paffion has fo extremely mauled him, that his Features are fet and uninformed, and his whole Vifage is deaden'd by a long Abfence of Thought. He never appears in any Alacrity, but when raised by Wine; at which Time he is fure to come hither, and throw away a great deal of Wit on Fellows, who have no Senfe further than just to obferve, That our poor Lover has moft Understanding when he is drunk, and is leaft in his Senfes when he is fober.

Will's Coffee-boule, April 8.

On Thursday lait was acted, for the BeneFit of Mr. Betterton, the Celeb ated Comedy, called Love for Love. Thofe excellent Players, Mrs. Barry, Mrs. Bracegirdle, and Mr. Dogger, though not at prefent concerned in the Houfe, acted on that Occafion. There has not ben known fo great a Concourfe of Perfons of DiHinction as at that Time; the Stage it felf was cover'd with Gentlemen and Ladies, and when the Curtain was drawn, it discovered even there a very fplendid Audience. This unusual Encouragement, which was given to a Play for the Advantage of fo great an Actor, gives an undeniable Inftance, That the true Relifh for Manly Entertainments and Rational Plea

fures

fures is not wholly loft. All the Parts were acted to Perfection: the Actors were careful of their Carriage, and no one was guilty of the Affection to infert Witticifms of his own, but a due Refpect was had to the Audience, for encouraging this accomplish'd Player. It is not now doubted but Plays will revive, and take their ufual Place in the Opinion of Perfons of Wit and Merit, notwithstanding their late Apoha ftacy in Favour of Drefs and Sound. This Place is very much altered fince Mr. Dryden frequented it; where you used to fee Songs, Epigrams, and Satyrs, in the Hands of every Man you met, you have now only a Pack of Cards; and intead of the Cavils about the Turn of the Expreffion, the Elegance of the Style, and the fike, the Learned now difpute only about the Truth of the Game. But however, the Comea pany is altered, all have fhewn a great Refpect ur for Mr. Betterton: And the very Gaming Part of this Houfe have been fo much rouched with a Senfe of the Uncertainty of Humane Affairs, (which alter with themselves every Moment) that in this Gentleman, they pitied Mark Anthony of Rome, Hamlet of Denmark, Mithrily datus of Pontus, Theodofius of Greece, and Henry rs the Eighth of England. It is well known, he has been in the Condition of each of those illuftrious Perfonages for feveral Hours toge enther, and behaved himself in thofe high Stations, in all the Changes of the Scene, with 19 fuitable Dignity. For thefe Reasons, we inA tend to repeat this Favour to him on a proper Occafion, left he who can inftruct us fo well in perfonating Feigned Sorrows, fhould be loft to us by fuffering under Real Ones. The Town is at prefent in very great Expectation of feeing à Comedy now in Rehear

ay

es

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fal,

fal, which is the 25th Production of my Honoured Friend Mr. Thomas D'Urfey; who, be fides his great Abilities in the Dramatick, has a peculiar Talent in the Lyrick Way of Writing, and that with a Manner wholly new and unknown to the Ancient Greeks and Romans, wherein he is but faintly imitated in the Tranflations of the Modern Italian Opera's.

St. James's Coffee-houfe, April 11.

Letters from the Hague of the 16th fay, That Major-General Cadogan was gone to Bruffels, with Orders to difperfe proper Inftructions for aflembling the whole Force of the Allies in Flanders in the Beginning of the next Month. The late Offers concerning Peace, were made in the Style of Perfons who think themfelves upon equal Terms: But the Allies have fo juft a Senfe of their prefent Advantages, that they will not admit of a Treaty, except France offers what is more fuitable to her present Condition. At the fame Time we make Preparations, as if we were alarmed by a greater Force than that which we are carrying into the Field. Thus this Point feems now to be argued Sword in Hand. This was what a Great General allud d to, when being asked the Names of those who were to be Plenipotentiaries for the enfufuing Peace; answered, with a ferious Air, There are about an Hundred thousand of us. Mr. Kidney, who has the Ear of the greatest Politicians that come hither, tells me, There is a Mail come in to Day with Letters, dated Hague, April 19. N. S. which fay, a Delign of bringing Part of our Troops into the Field at the latter End of this Month, is now altered to a Refolution of marching towards the Camp about the 2oth of the next. There happened t'other Day, in the Road of Scheveling, an Engagement be

tween

re.

Ons

nat

tween a Privateer of Zealand, and one of Dunkirk. The Dunkirker, carrying 33 Pieces of Cannon, was taken and brought into the Texel. It is faid, the Courier of Monfieur Rouille is returned to him from the Court of France. Monfieur Vendofme being reinftated in the Favour of the Dutchefs of Burgundy, is to command in Flanders.

Mr. Kidney added, That there were Letters of the 17th from Ghent, which give an Arcount, That the Enemy had formed a Defigno for furprize two Battalions of the Allies which lay

Els,

at Aloft; but thofe Battalions received Advice of their March, and retired to Dendermond. Lieutenant General Wood appeared on this Occafion at the Head of 5000 Foot, and 1000 Horfe, upon which the Enemy withdrew, without making any further Attempt.

From my own Apartment.

I am forry I am obliged to trouble the Publick with fo much Difcourfe upon a Matter which I at the very first mentioned as a Trifle, viz. the Death of Mr. Partridge, under whofe Name there is an Almanack come out for the Year 1709. In one Page of which it is afferted by the faid John Partridge, That he is ftill living, and not only fo, but that he was alfo living fome Time before, and even at the Inftant when I writ of his Death. I have in another Place, and in a Paper by it felf, fufficiently convinced this Man that he is dead, and if he has any Shame, I don't doubt but that by this Time he owns it to all his Acquaintance: For tho the Legs and Arms, and whole Body of that Man till may appear and perform their animal Functions; yet fince, as I have elsewhere observed, his Art is gone, the Man is gone. I am, as I faid, concerned, that this

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little: