private domeftick Employments he is no lefs glorious than in his publick; for 'tis in Reality a more difficult Task to be confpicuous in a fedentary inactive Life, than in one that is fpent in Hurry and Bufinefs; Perfons engaged in the latter, like Bodies violently agitated, from the Swiftnefs of their Motion have a Brightness added to them, which often vanishes when they are at Reft; but if it then still remain, it must be the Seeds of intrinfick Worth that thus fhine out without any foreign Aid or Affiftance. HIS Liberality in another might almost bear the Name of Profufion, he feems to think it laudable even in the Excefs, like that River which moft enriches when it overflows: But Manilius has too perfect a Taste of the Pleafure of doing good, ever to let it be out of his Power; and for that Reafon he will have a juft Oeconomy, and a fplendid Frugality at home, the Fountain from whence thofe Streams fhould flow which he difperfes abroad. He looks with Difdain on those who propofe their Death as the Time when they are to begin their Munificence; he will both fee and enjoy (which he then does in the highest Degree) what he beftows himfelf; he will be the living Executor of his own Bounty, whilft they who have the Happiness to be within his Care and Patronage at once, pray for the Continuation of his Life, and their own good Fortune. No one is out of the reach of his Obligations; he knows how, by proper and becoming Methods, to raise himself to a Level with those of the highest Rank; and his good Nature is a fufficient Warrant against the want of those who are fo unhappy as to be in the very lowest. One may fay of him, as Pindar bids his Mufe fay of Theron: Swear, that Theron fure has fworn, No one near him should be Poor. Swear, that none e'er had fuch a graceful Art, With an unenvious Hand, and an unbounded Heart. } NEVER did Atticus fucceed better in gaining the univerfal Love and Efteem of all Men; nor fteer with more Succefs betwixt the Extreams of two contending Parties. 'Tis his peculiar Happiness, that while he efpou M. 4 Les fes neither with an intemperate Zeal, he is not only ad mired, but, what is a more rare and unusual Felicity, he is beloved and careffed by both; and I never yet saw any Perfon of whatsoever Age or Sex, but was immediately ftruck with the Merit of Manilius. There are many who are acceptable to fome particular Perfons, whilft the reft of Mankind look upon them with Coldness and Indifference; but he is the firft whofe entire good Fortune it is ever to please and to be pleafed, where-ever he comes to be admired, and where-ever he is abfent to be lamented. His Merit fares like the Pictures of Raphael, which are either feen with Admiration by all, or at least no one dare own he has no Tafte for a Compofition which has received fo univerfal an Applaufe. Envy and Malice find it against their Intereft to indulge Slander and Obloquy. 'Tis as hard for an Enemy to detract from as for a Friend to add to his Praife. An Attempt upon his Reputation is a fure leffening of one's own; and there is but one Way to injure him, which is to refufe him his just Commendations, and be obftinately filent, IT is below him to catch the Sight with any Care of Drefs; his outward Garb is but the Emblem of his Mind, it is genteel, plain, and unaffected; he knows that Gold and Embroidery can add nothing to the Opinion which all have of his Merit, and that he gives a Luftre to the plaineft Drefs, whilft 'tis impoffible the richest should communicate any to him. He is ftill the principal Figure in the Room: He firft engages your Eye, as if there were fome Point of Light which fhone ftronger upon him than on any other Perfon. HE puts me in mind of a Story of the famous Bussy d'Amboife, who at an Affembly at Court, where every one appeared with the utmoft Manificence, relying upon his own fuperiour Behaviour, inftead of adorning himself like the reft, put on that Day a plain Suit of Cloaths, and dreffed all his Servants in the most coftly gay Habits he could procure: The Event was, that the Eyes of the whole Court were fixed upon him, all the reft looked Jike his Attendants, whilft he alone had the Air of a Perfon of Quality and Distinction. LIKE Ariftippus, whatever Shape or Condition he appears in, it kill fits free and eafie upon him; but in fome Part Part of his Character, 'tis true, he differs from him; for as he is altogether equal to the Largenefs of his prefent Circumftances, the Rectitude of his Judgment has fo far corrected the Inclinations of his Ambition, that he will not trouble himself with either the Defires or Pursuits of any thing beyond his prefent Enjoyments. A thoufand obliging Things flow from him upon every Occafion, and they are always fo juft and natural, that it is impoffible to think he was at the leaft Pains to look for them. One would think it were the Dæmon of good Thoughts that discovered to him thofe Treasures, which he must have blinded others from seeing, they lay fo directly in their Way. Nothing can equal the Pleasure is taken in hearing him fpeak, but the Satisfaction one receives in the Civility and Attention he pays to the Dif courfe of others. His Looks are a filent Commendation of what is good and praise-worthy, and a fecret Reproof to what is licentious and extravagant. He knows how to appear free and open without Danger of Intrufion, and to be cautious without feeming referved. The Gravity of his Converfation is always enlivened with his Wit and Humour, and the Gaiety of it is tempered with fomething that is inftructive, as well as barely agreeable. Thus with him you are fure not to be merry at the Expence of your Reason, nor ferious with the Lofs of your good Humour; but, by a happy mixture in his Temper, they either go together, or perpetually fucceed each other. In fine, his whole Behaviour is equally diftant from Conftraint and Negligence, and he commands your Refpect,. whilft he gains your Heart. THERE is in his whole Carriage fuch an engaging Softnefs, that one cannot perfuade one's felf he is ever actuated by thofe rougher Paffions, which, where-ever they find Place, feldom fail of fhewing themselves in theoutward Demeanour of the Perfons they belong to: But his Constitution is a juft Temperature between Indolence on one hand and Violence on the other. He is mild and gentle, where-ever his Affairs will give him Leave to follow his own Inclinations; but yet never failing to exért. himself with Vigour and Refolution in the Service of his Prince, his Country, or his Friend, M. Z Wednesday, N° 468. Wednesday, August 27. Erat Homo ingeniofus, acutus, acer, & qui plurimum & falis haberet fellis, nec candoris minus. Plin. Epift. M Y Paper is in a kind a Letter of News, but it regards rather what paffes in the World of Converfation than that of Bufinefs. I am very forry that I have at present a Circumstance before me, which is of very great Importance to all who have a Relish for Gayety, Wit, Mirth, or Humour; I mean the Death of poor Dick Eaftcourt. I have been oblig'd to him for so many Hours of Jollity, that it is but a fmall Recompence, tho' all I can give him, to pass a Moment or two in Sadnefs for the Lofs of fo agreeable a Man. Poor Eaftcourt! the laft Time I faw him we were plotting to fhew the Town his great Capacity for acting in its full Light, by introducing him as dictating to a Set of young Players, in what manner to fpeak this Sentence, and utter t'other Paffion He had fo exquifite a Difcerning of what was defective in any Object before him, that in an Inftant he could fhew you the ridiculous Side of what would pafs for beautiful and juft, even to Men of no ill Judgment, before he had pointed at the Failure. He was no lefs skilful in the Knowledge of Beauty; and, I dare fay, there is no one who knew him well, but can repeat more well-turned Compliments, as well as fmart Repartees, of Mr. Eaftcourt's, than of any other Man in England. This was easily to be obferved in his inimitable Faculty of telling a Story, in which he would throw in natural and unexpected Incidents to make his Court to one Part, and rally the other Part of the Company Then he would vary the Ufage he gave them, according as he faw them bear kind or Tharp Language, He had the Knack to raife up a penfive Temper, and mortifie an impertinently gay one, with the moft agreeable Skill ima ginable. There are a thoufand things which crowd into my Memory, which make me too much concerned to tell tell on about him. Hamlet holding up the Skull which the Grave-digger threw to him, with an Account that it was the Head of the King's Jefter, falls into very pleafing Reflections, and cries out to his Companion, Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a Fellow of infinite Feft, of most excellent Fancy; he hath born me on his Back a thousand times: And how abhorred my Imagination is now, my Gorge rifes at it. Here hung thofe Lips that I have kiss'd I know not how oft. Where be your Gibes now, your Gambols, your Songs, your Flashes of Merriment, that were wont to fet the Table on a Roar: No one now to mock your own Feerings: quite Chop-fallen. Now get you to my Lady's Chamber,and tell her, Let her paint an Inch thick, to this Favour she must come. Make her laugh at that. IT is an Infolence natural to the Wealthy, to affix, as much as in them lies, the Character of a Man to his Circumftances. Thus it is ordinary with them to praise faintly the good Qualities of thofe below them, and fay, It is very extraordinary in fuch a Man as he is, or the like, when they are forced to acknowledge the Value of him whole Lowness upbraids their Exaltation. It is to this Humour only, that it is to be afcribed, that a quick Wit in Converfation, a nice Judgment upon any Emergency that could arife, and a moft blameless inoffensive Behaviour, could not raise this Man above being received only upon the Foot of contributing to Mirth and Diverfion. But he was as eafie under that Condition, as a Man of fo excellent Talents was capable; and fince they would have it, that to divert was his Bufinefs, he did it with all the feeming Alacrity imaginable, tho' it ftung him to the Heart that it was his Bufinefs. Men of Senfe, who could tafte his Excellencies, were well fatisfied to let him lead the Way in Conversation, and play after his own Manner; but Fools who provoked him to Mimickry, found he had the Indignation to let it be at their Expence, who called for it, and he would fhew the Form of conceited heavy Fellows as Jefts to the Company at their own Requeft, in Revenge for interrupting him from being a Companion to put on the Character of a Jefter. WHAT was peculiarly execllent in this memorable Companion, was, that in the Accounts he gave of Perfons and Sentiments, he did not only hit the Figure of |