་ ceived by Eucrate, for Eucrate had the moft compaffionate Spirit of all Men living, except his generous Mafter, who was always kindled at the leaft Affliction which was communicated to him. In the Regard for the Miferable, Eucrate took particular Care, that the common Forms of Diftrefs, and the idle Pretenders to Sorrow, about Courts, who wanted only Supplies to Luxury, fhould never obtain Favour by his Means: But the Diftreffes which arife from the many inexplicable Occurrences that happen among Men, the unaccountable Alienation of Parents from their Children, Cruelty of Husbands to Wives, Poverty occafioned from Shipwreck or Fire, the falling out of Friends, or fuch other terrible Difafters to which the Life of Man is expofed In Cafes of this Nature, Eucrate was the Patron, and enjoyed this Part of the royal Favour fo much without being envied, that it was never enquired into by whose Means, what no one elfe cared for doing, was brought • about. ONE Evening when Pharamond came into the Apartment of Eucrate, he found him extremely dejected, upon which he asked (with a Smile which was natural to him) "What, is there any one too miferable to be relieved by Pharamond, that Eucrate is melancho"ly? I fear there is, anfwered the Favourite; a Perfon "without, of a good Air, well Dreffed, and tho' a Man "in the Strength of his Life, feems to faint under fome "inconfolable Calamity: All his Features feem fuffufed with Agony of Mind; but I can obferve in him, that "it is more inclined to break away in Tears than Rage. "I asked him what he would have, he faid he would "fpeak to Pharamond. I defired his Bufinefs, he could "hardly fay to me, Eucrate, carry me to the King, my "Story is not to be told twice, I fear I fhall not be able to fpeak it at all. Pharamond commanded Eucrate to let him enter; he did fo, and the Gentleman approached the King with an Air which fpoke him under the greatest Concern in what Manner to demean himself. The King, who had a quick Difcerning, relieved him from the Oppreffion he was under; and with the moft beautiful Complacency faid to him, "Sir, do not add to that Load of Sorrow I fee in your Countenance the 86 "the Awe of my Prefence: Think you are speaking to your Friend; if the Circumstances of your Diftress "will admit of it, you fhall find me fo. To whom the Stranger: "Oh excellent Pharamond, name not a "Friend to the unfortunate Spinamont. I had one, but "he is dead by my own Hand; but, oh Pharamond, "tho' it was by the Hand of Spinamant, it was by the "Guilt of Pharamond. I come not, oh excellent Prince, to implore your Pardon ; I come to relate my Sorrow, a Sorrow too great for human Life to fupport: From "henceforth fhall all Occurrences appear Dreams or "fhort Intervals of Amusement, from this one Affliction which has feiz'd my very Being: Pardon me, oh "Pharamond, if my Griefs give me Leave, that I lay "before you, in the Anguish of a wounded Mind, that you, good as you are, are guilty of the generous Blood fpilt this Day by this unhappy Hand: Oh that it had "perifhed before that Inftant! Here the Stranger paufed, and recollecting his Mind, after fome little Medi'tation, he went on in a calmer Tone and Gesture as • follows. 66 66 -66 none "THERE is an Authority due to Diftrefs, and as of humane Race is above the Reach of Sorrow, none fhould be above the Hearing the Voice of it; I am fure Pharamond is not. Know then, that I have "this Morning unfortunately killed in a Duel, the Man "whom of all Men living I most loved. I command 66 my felf too much in your royal Prefence, to fay, Pharamond, give me my Friend! Pharamond has taken "him from me! I will not fay, fhall the merciful Pha"ramond destroy his own Subjects? Will the Father "of his Country murder his People? But, the merci"ful Pharamond does deftroy his Subjects, the Father of "his Country does murder his People. Fortune is fo 66 " much the Pursuit of Mankind, that all Glory and Honour is in the Power of a Prince, because he has the Diftribution of their Fortunes. It is therefore the "Inadvertency, Negligence, or Guilt of Princes, to let any Thing grow into Custom which is against their Laws. A Court can make Fashion and Duty walk together; it can never, without the Guilt of a Court, happen, that it fhall not be unfashionable to do what ་་ is unlawful. But alas! in the Dominions of Phara "mond, by the Force of a Tyrant Custom, which is mif-named a Point of Honour, the Duellift kills his "Friend whom he loves; and the Judge condemns the "Duellift, while he approves his Behaviour. Shame is "the greatest of all Evils; what avail Laws, when "Death only attends the Breach of them, and Shame "Obedience to them? As for me, oh Pharamond, were it poffible to defcribe the nameless Kinds of Compun"&tions and Tenderneffes I feel, when I reflect upon. "the little Accidents in our former Familiarity, my "Mind fwells into Sorrow which cannot be refifted "enough to be filent in the Prefence of Pharamond. Witla that he fell into a Flood of Tears, and wept aloud, Why fhould not Pharamond hear the Anguifh he only " can relieve others from in Time to come? Let him hear "from me, what they feel who have given Death by the "falfe Mercy of his Administration, and form to himself the Vengeance called for by thofe who have perished by his Negligence, 66 N° 85. I'M Pors Thursday, June 7. Interdum fpeciofa locis, morataque recte R Hor T is the Cuftom of the Mahometans, if they fee any it up and lay it afide carefully, as not knowing but ft may contain fome Piece of their Alcoran. I must confefs I have fo much of the Muffulman in me, that I cannot forbear looking into every printed Paper which comes in my Way, under whatfoever defpicable Circumftances it may appear: For as no mortal Author, in the ordinary Fate and Viciffitude of Things, knows to what Ufe his Works may, fome Time or other, be applied, a Man may often meet with very celebrated Names in a 5 Paper Paper of Tobacco. I have lighted my Pipe more than once with the Writings of a Prelate; and know a Friend of mine, who, for these feveral Years, has converted the Effays of a Man of Quality into a kind of Fringe for his Candlesticks. I remember in particular, after having read over a Poem of an eminent Author on a Victory, I met with feveral Fragments of it upon the next rejoicing Day, which had been employed in Squibs and Crackers, and by that Means celebrated its Subject in a double Capacity. I once met with a Page of Mr. Baxter under a Christmas Pye. Whether or no the Paftry-Cook had made ufe of it through Chance or Waggery, for the Defence of that fuperftitious Viande, [ know not; but upon the Perufal of it, I conceived fo good an Idea of the Author's Piety, that I bought the whole Book. I have often profited by thefe accidental Readings, and have fometimes found very curious Pieces, that are either out of Print, or not to be met with in the Shops of our London Bookfellers. For this Reason, when my Friends take a Survey of my Library, they are very much furprized to find, upon the Shelf of Folios, two long Band-boxes ftanding upright among my Books, till I let them fee that they are both of them lined with deep Erudition and abftrufe Literature. I might likewise mention a Paper Kite, from which I have received great Improvement; and a Hat-Cafe, which I would not exchange for all the Beavers in Great-Britain. This my inquifitive Temper, or rather impertinent Humour of prying into all Sorts of Writing, with my natural Averfion to Loquacity, give me a good deal of Employment when I enter any Houfe in the Country, for I cannot for my Heart leave a Room, before I have thoroughly studied the Walls of it, and examined the feveral printed Papers which are usually pafted upon them. The laft Piece that I met with upon this Occafion, gave me a moft exquifite Pleasure. My Reader will think I am not ferious, when I acquaint him that the Piece I am going to fpeak of was the old Ballad of the Two Children in the Wood, which is one of the darling Songs of the common People, and has been the Delight of moft Englishmen in fome Part of their Age, THIS Song is a plain fimple Copy of Nature, destitute of all the Helps and Ornaments of Art. The Tale of it is a pretty tragical Story, and pleafes for no other Reafon but because it is a Copy of Nature. There is even a defpicable Simplicity in the Verfe; and yet becaufe the Sentiments appear genuine and unaffected, they are able to move the Mind of the moft polite Reader with inward Meltings of Humanity and Compaffion. The Incidents grow out of the Subject, and are fuch as are the moft proper to excite Pity; for which reafon the whole Narration has fomething in it very moving, notwithftanding the Author of it (whoever he was) has deliver'd it in fuch an abject Phrafe and Poornefs of Expreflion, that the quoting any Part of it would look like a Defign of turning it into Ridicule. But though the Language is mean, the Thoughts, as I have before faid, from one End to the other are natural, and therefore cannot fail to please those who are not Judges of Language, or those who, notwithstanding they are Judges of Language, have a true and unprejudiced Tafte of Nature. The Condition, Speech, and Behaviour of the dying Parents, with the Age, Innocence, and Diftrefs of the Children, are fet forth in fuch tender Circumftances, that it is impoffible for a Reader of common Humanity not to be affected with them. As for the Circumftance of the Robin-red-breaft, it is indeed a little poetical Ornament; and to fhew the Genius of the Author amidst all his Simplicity, it is just the fame kind of Fiction which one of the greateft of the Latin Poets has made ufe of upon a parallel Occafion; I mean that Paffage in Horace, where he defcribes himself when he was a Child, fallen afleep in a defart Wood and covered with Leaves by the Turtles that took pity on him. Me fabulofa Vulture in Appulo, Fronde nova puerum palumbes Texere I have heard that the late Lord Dorfet, who had the greatest Wit tempered with the greateft Candour, and was one of the finest Criticks as well as the beft Poets of |