a Spunge in his left Hand. The Dance of fo many jarring Natures put me in Mind of the Sun, Moon and Earth, in the Rehearsal, that danced together for no other end but to eclipfe one another. THE Reader will eafily fuppofe, by what has been before said, that the Lady on the Throne would have been almost frighted to Distraction, had fhe feen but any one of thefe Spectres; what then must have been her Condition when she saw them all in a Body? She fainted and dyed away at the Sight. Et neque jam color eft mifto candore rubori; THERE was a great Change in the Hill of Money Bags, and the Heaps of Money, the former fhrinking, and falling into fo many empty Bags, that I now found not above a tenth part of them had been filled with Money. The reft that took up the fame Space, and made the fame Figure as the Bags that were really filled with Money, had been blown up with Air, and called into my Memory the Bags full of Wind, which Homer tells us his Hero received as a Prefent from Æolus. The great Heaps of Gold on either fide the Throne, now appeared to be only Heaps of Paper, or little Piles of notched Sticks, bound up together in Bundles, like Bath-Faggots. WHILST I was lamenting this fudden Defolation that had been made before me, the whole Scene vanished : In the Room of the frightful Spectres, there now entered a fecond Dance of Apparations very agreeably matched together, and made up of very amiable Phantonis. The first Pair was Liberty with Monarchy at her right Hand: The fecond was Moderation leading in Religion; and the third a Perfon whom I had never feen, with the Genius of Great Britain. At the firft Entrance the Lady revived, the Bags fwelled to their former Eulk, the Pile of Faggots and Heaps of Paper changed into Pyramids of Guineas: And for my own part I was fo tranfported with Joy, that I awaked, though I must confefs, I would fain have fallen afleep again to have closed my Vision, if I could have done it. 6 C Monday, A Monday, March 5. Egregii Mortalem, altique filenti! Hor. N Author, when he first appears in the World, is very apt to believe it has nothing to think of but his Performances. With a good Share of this Vanity in my Heart, I made it my Bufinefs these three Days to liften after my own Fame; and as I have fometimes met with Circumftances which did not difplease me, I have been encounter'd by others which gave me as much Mortification. It is incredible to think how empty I have in this Time obferved fome Part of the Species to be, what mere Blanks they are when they first come abroad in the Morning, how utterly they are at a Stand till they are fet a going by fome Paragraph in a News-Paper: Such Perfons are very acceptable to a young Author, for they defire no more in any thing but to be new to be agreeable. If I found Confolation among fuch, I was as much difquieted by the Incapacity of others. These are Mortals who have a certain Curiofity without Power of Reflection, and perufed my Papers like Spectators rather than Readers. But there is fo little Pleafure in Enquiries that fo nearly concern our felves, (it being the worft way in the World to Fame, to be too anxious about it) that upon the whole I refolved for the future to go on in my ordinary Way; and without too much Fear or Hope about the Business of Reputation, to be very careful of the Defign of my Actions, but very negligent of the Confequences of them. IT is an endless and frivolous Pursuit to act by any other Rule than the Care of fatisfying our own Minds in what we do. One would think a filent Man, who concerned himself with no one breathing, fhould be very little liable to Mifreprefentations; and yet I remember I was once taken up for a Jefuit, for no other Reafon but my profound Taciturnity. It is from this Misfortune, that to be out of Harm's Way, I have ever fince affected Crowds. He who comes into Affemblies only to gratifie his Curiofity, and not to make a Figure, enjoys the Pleafures of Retirement in a more exquifite Degree, than he poffibly could in his Clofet; the Lover, the Ambitious, and the Mifer, are followed thither by a worse Crowd than any they can withdraw from. To be exempt from the Paffions with which others are tormented, is the only pleafing Solitude. I can very juftly fay with the ancient Sage, I am never lefs alone than when alone, As I am infignificant to the Company in publick Places, and as it is vifible I do not come thither as most do, to fhew my felf; I gratifie the Vanity of all who pretend to make an Appearance, and have often as kind Looks from well-dreffed Gentlemen and Ladies, as a Poet would bestow upon one of his Audience. There are fo many Gratifications attend this publick fort of Obfcurity, that fome little Diftates I daily receive have loft their Anguifh, and I did the other Day, without the leaft Difpleasure, overhear one fay of me, That ftrange Eellow; and another anfwer, I have known the Fellow's Face these twelve Years, and fo must you; but I believe you are the first ever ask'd who he was. There are, I muft confefs, many to whom my Perfon is as well known as that of their nearest Relations, who give themselves no further Trouble about calling me by my Name or Quality, but fpeak of me very currently by Mr. What-d'ye call him. TO make up for these trivial Difadvantages, I have the high Satisfaction of beholding all Nature with an unprejudiced Eye; and having nothing to do with Mens Paffions or Interefts, I can with the greater Sagacity confider their Talents, Manners, Failings, and Merits. IT is remarkable, that thofe who want any one Senfe, poffefs the others with greater Force and Vivaci ty. Thus my Want of, or rather Refignation of Speech, gives me all the Advantages of a dumb Man. I have, methinks, a more than ordinary Penetration in Seeing; and flatter my felf that I have looked into the Higheft and Loweft of Mankind, and make fhrewd Gueffes, without being admitted to their Converfation, at the inmoft Thoughts and Reflections of all whom I be hold. hold. It is from hence that good or ill Fortune has no manner of Force towards affecting my Judgment. I fee Men flourishing in Courts, and languishing in Jayls, without being prejudiced from their Circumftances to their Favour or Difadvantage; but from their inward Manner of bearing their Condition, often pity the Profperous, and admire the Unhappy. THOSE who converse with the Dumb, know from the Turn of their Eyes, and the Changes of their Countenance, their Sentiments of the Objects before them. I have indulged my Silence to fuch an Extravagance, that the few who are intimate with me, anfwer my Smiles with concurrent Sentences, and argue to the very Point I fhaked my Head at, without my fpeaking. WILL. HONEYCOMB was very entertaining the other Night at a Play, to a Gentleman who fat on his right Hand, while I was at his Left. The Gentleman believed WILL. was talking to himself, when upon my looking with great Approbation at a young thing in a Box before us, he faid, I am quite of another Opinion. She has, I will allow, a very pleasing Afpect, but methinks that Simplicity in her Countenance is rather childish than in· nocent. When I observed her a fecond time, he said, I grant her Drefs is very becoming, but perhaps the Merit of that Choice is owing to her Mother; for though, continued he, I allow a Beauty to be as much to be commended for the Elegance of her Drefs, as a Wit for that of his Language; yet if the has ftolen the Colour of her Ribands from another, or had Advice about her Trimmings, I fhall not allow her the Praise of Drefs, any more than I would call a Plagiary an Author. When I threw my Eye towards the next Woman to her, WILL. fpoke what I looked, according to his Romantick Imagination, in the following Manner. BEHOLD, you who dare, that charming Virgin; 'Behold the Beauty of her Perfon chaftifed by the Innocence of her Thoughts. Chastity, Good-Nature, and Affability, are the Graces that play in her Countenance; fhe knows fhe is handsome, but she knows fhe is good. Confcious Beauty adorned with confcious Virtue ! What a Spirit is there in thofe Eyes! What a Bloom in ⚫ that that Perfon! How is the whole Woman expreffed in her Appearance: Her Air has the Beauty of Motion, and her Look the Force of Language. IT was Prudence to turn away my Eyes from this Object, and therefore I turned them to the thoughtless Creatures who make up the Lump of that Sex, and move a knowing Eye no more than the Portraiture of infignificant People by ordinary Painters, which are but Picture of Pictures. THUS the working of my own Mind is the general Entertainment of my Life; I never enter into the Commerce of Difcourfe with any but my particular Friends, and not in Publick even with them. Such an Habit has perhaps raised in me uncommon Reflections; but this Effect I cannot communicate but by my Writings. As my Pleasures are almoft wholly confined to thofe of the Sight, I take it for a peculiar Happiness that I have always had an eafie and familiar Admittance to the fair Sex. If I never praised or flattered, I never belyed or contradicted them. As thefe compofe half the World, and are by the juft Complaifance and Gallantry of our Nation the more powerful Part of our People, I fhall dedicate a confiderable Share of thefe my Speculations to their Service, and fhall lead the Young through all the becoming Duties of Virginity, Marriage, and Widowhood. When it is a Woman's Day, in my Works, I shall endeavour at a Style and Air suitable to their Understanding. When I fay this, I must be underftood to mean, that I fhall not lower but exalt the Subjects I treat upon. Difcourfe for their Entertainment, is not to be debased but refined. A Man may appear learned, without talking Sentences; as in his ordinary Gesture he discovers he can Dance, though he does not cut Capers. Word, I fhall take it for the greatest Glory of my Work, if among reafonable Women this Paper may furnish Tea-Table Talk. In order to it, I fhall treat on Matters which relate to Females, as they are concerned to approach or fly from the other Sex, or as they are tyed to them by Blood, Intereft, or Affection. Upon this Occafion I think it but reasonable to declare, that whatever Skill I may have in Speculation, I fhall never betray what the Eyes of Lovers fay to each other in my PreVOL. I. B In a fence. |