Parent? He had ever a Difpofition to beat the younger Boys of the School, whom he kept under him, which gained him the Character of Courage; being at the fame Time moft extremely civil to thofe whom he had Reason to believe were his Equals, or what is generally ftiled in the School Phrase, a Match for him,which was put down to his Cunning and Civility. Added to this he had a natural Affurance, that in Times when Modefty was inuch in Fashion, might have been stiled Impudence; which Attribute, though none of the Virtues, is in Fact worth them all for Preferment in this World: A Remark made by Lord Verulam was an undoubted Truth in his Time, and which has been verified in Millions of Inftances down to thePrefent, in Ministers and others. At School there was nothing which he dared not to propofe; whenever an Orchard was to be attacked, he made the Speech which moved them to Action; but then his Valour was wifely tempered with Prudence, and he modeftly declined leading the Way, thinking it too much to make the Speech, and lead the Van, like ancient Heroes in former Stories:

FROM these Accomplishments which were mistaken for: Parts and Courage by his Father, fuch is the Dif tinction of parental Fondnefs, and noble Capacity, Charles was from his Youth deftined to be an Admiral; in Confequence of this Destination, being no more than twenty-five Years of Age, he had already been some Time a Captain: Indeed there was another Part in his Son's Conftitution, which his noble Parent built very much upon; this was, that Charles, at fifteen Years of Age, was furprized by his Lady-mother between a Pair of Sheets with her Waiting-woman; which latter Part of the Appellation, we humbly conceive in this Inftance to be more juftiy used than that of Maid, by a true Historian, who examines what he delivers; and indeed we apprehend it is from fimilar Inftances of this kind, that Ladies have lately agreed to call thofe Females, who have the Honour of being near their Perfons with Combs, Pins, Pomatum, Rouge, Brushes, black and white Lead, by the Name of their Women, as being a Denomination in which they are much lefs likely to make Miftakes than in that of Maid which

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being fynonimous with Virgin, is fomething too facred to be fported with on dubious Occafions, whereas that of Woman answers to Maid, Wife, or Widow bewitched, or otherways.

THIS Accident then, of being furprized in Mrs. Chambers's Bed, was a Matter of great Confolation to the Right Honourable Peer; he boafted of it in all Companies, and fwore that all the clever Heroes of Old were damn'd Whoring Fellows; I was juft fuch another. "Your Alexanders, fays he, as I find in Mr. "Handel's Alexander's Feaft, fet a Town on Fire to please his Wench; and I doubt not, adds his Lordfhip, but Charles will be as great as any Alexander of "of them all, damme.”

AND here, left my Readers, who are not well acquainted with the true way of rifing in honourable Preferments, fuch as live in Countries remote from the great City, may be induced to believe that the Honourable Captain Charles Bounce had attained this early Honour thro' Dint of true Merit, and undoubted Courage, we shall take the Liberty of just hinting, that the noble Lord his Father, having the Command of three Boroughs, had made this favourite Son of his a Representative of one of them.

THIS fingle Circumftance of being a Member, including at prefent all that is both honourable and powerful, virtuous and valiant, had not a little contributed to place this young Gentleman in the Command of the ****

*

SUCH therefore as he was at School, he continued in his Manhood; and fuch was the Repute of his Courage, that tho' many Men have manifefted fome little Inclinations to doubt it, there are many more who are pofitive that a braver Seaman never ftept between the Stem and the Stern of a Ship; but indeed it was chiefly that kind of Gentlemen, who never knew what these two Denominations fignified, or had feen any Sea but the great Piece of Water in their Fathers' Park, from which and the small Veffel fwimming on it, they had taken the Notion of Men of War and the Ocean.

In order therefore to place this Honourable Perfonage

in

in a true Light, and do Juftice to his Character, we fhall draw a faithful Portrait of him, and his Behaviour; and then endeavouring to annalize and explain what conftitutes true Courage in a Man, leave it to the Decifion of the Reader, whether the Honourable Charles Bounce, Captain of the *****

was a

Man of real Valour or not; yet not with fuch Precipitation, but that we fhall firft clofe this Chapter, concluding that our Readers would certainly be highly offended at our Indifcretion, if that Qualification, which the Romans distinguish'd by the Name of Virtus, as the first of Virtues, should be treated at the latter End of a Chapter.

CHA P. IV.

The happy Union of Courage and Prudence-exemplified in the Behaviour of the Honourable Captain Charles Bounce, together with a difcreet Prefervation of his Majefty's Ship and Subjects: A Chapter to be studied by all Captains in thofe perilous Times.

THE

HE Honourable Captain Charles Bounce being thus made a Commander of a fixty-gun Ship, which he had already enjoyed fome Years, had been very eminently diftinguished by Lady Fortune, whofe Favours all Men covet: He had taken many a rich Merchant-man; and damaged his Majefty's Ship, which was intrusted to his Care, lefs than any Commander, in the Navy.

To his immortal Honour be it fpoken, he had brought lefs Expence on the Government by repairing his Ship from the Injuries of Battle in five Years, than Captain Brett had done in five Hours; fuch fingular Difcretion, he always mixed with his Valour, fo provident he was of all that was committed to his Care, and fo heedless the other.

INDEED Confidering the enormous Debt. of this Nation, and with what Difficulty Money is raifed for the neceffary Supplies in Times of Turbulence, that from publick Authority we are told, that we fhall be ia

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good Condition to undertake a War two Years hence, which imparts but a negative Confolation of not being at prefent in that State; we are obliged to agree, that the Miniftry manifefts the utmoft Prudence in conducting the national Affairs, by thus preferring thofe Captains, who are tender and cautious of enflaming the Expences of the Year, by running their Ships into expenfive Broils, to thofe hot-headed Fellows who are for ever seeking fome Occafion to fink, burn, or deftroy the Enemy's Ships of War, and disabling their

own.

OWING to this Prudence in the Commanders, it is imagined that thofe Captains, who were a little flur'd in Courts Martial by their fellow Officers for Misdemeanours in the last War, have been made Governors and Commanders in the prefent Exigency of Affairs: Discretion inclining to Fear, being beheld with a more favourable Eye by the Great, than Courage inclining to the immoderate.

THE Honourable Captain Charles Bounce was a rare Inftance of this happy Union of Prudence mixt with Valour: In all his Chaces, whenever he had the least Sufpicion that it was a Man of War belonging to the Enemy, he purfued with great Deliberation; he always took Time to look about him, and was ever much inclined to imagine that he faw two Ships in the Place of one, great Difcretion, like Drunkenness, doubling the Object, and preferred coming up to his Enemy towards the Clofe of the Evening, to the Noon-tide Hour. By this prudential Method, if he perceived that there was nothing but Bruifes to be gotten, he had an Opportunity of difpofing of Things to the best Advantage during the Night.

"DAMME, Lieutenant, fays he, we shall have the "Dogs flip from us in the Dark, the cowardly French "Son of a B-: I'll be damn'd if he does not run for "it; put before the Wind; make all poffible Sail, my "Lads; all Hands aloft there: I'll wage a thousand "Guineas, damme, we find them To-morrow Morning, by crouding all our Sails, juft a-head of us." And of this Opinion he was always inclined to be, when

he

he perceived that the Enemy was turning to Windward.

If indeed before the Wind was the Manner of the Enemy's Sailing, he was always horridly afraid, left being a better Sea-boat than that which he commanded, fhe might escape, by turning to the Wind-ward; he therefore kept that Manner of Sailing all the Night, left the Enemy should be in that Situation the next Day.

By this Means, in the Morning, when he found the Enemy's Ship quite out of Sight, he wore with moft horrid Vehemence and Execration, that he could not poffibly conceive which Way the could efcape. "But by, fays he, Lieutenant, neither "Prudence or Courage produce any Thing great: "Luck is all, damme.'

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Ar other Times however, when Fighting was inevitable, he fhewed equal Difcretion in Conducting his Ship: If he was at Wind-ward he cried, "Look ye,

my Lads, damme if any Man that ever crofs'd a "Deck, is lefs afraid than I am; and yet confider that "in being too near, from the Heeling of the Ship, we are all open to the fmallArms of the Enemy, and they are fecure from ours; we have nothing for it, but "endeavouring to hit her between Wind and Water, " which inay fink them on the other Tack, therefore keep a due Distance, my Lads; mind the Helm, my "Lads."

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IN like Manner when he was at Leward, he was equally cautious of allowing a proper Room, thro' Fear of receiving a Shot betwixt Wind and Water, which might be their Deftruction. "For, fays he, a Ship like this, is not built in three Days, nor mann'd at a small Expence, and fhould not be thrown away carelessly: Damme, for myfelf I care not "Sixpence." Yet notwithstanding this flaming Courage, this Captain fcarce ever popp'd his Head above the Netting, which was well cramm'd with Hammocks, to keep off the Effects of fmall Arms: But this Care and Circumfpection was not perfonal, it arofe from the Attention he had for his Majesty's Service, For, damme, Centlemen, fays he, when 66 a Com

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