I must here inform my Reader, that the Frontiers of the Enchanted Region, which I have before described, were inhabited by the Species of MIXED WIT, who made a very odd Appearance when they were mustered together in an Army. There were Men whofe Bodies were ftuck full of Darts, and Women whofe Eyes were Burning-glaffes: Men that had Hearts of Fire, and Women that had Breafts of Snow. It would be endless to defcribe feveral Monsters of the like Nature, that compofed this great Army; which immediatedly fell afunder and divided it felf into two Parts, the one half throwing themfelves behind the Banners of TRUTH, and the others behind thofe of FALSEHOOD.

THE Goddess of FALSEHOOD was of a Gigantick Stature, and advanced some Paces before the Front of her Army; but as the dazling Light, which flowed from TRUTH, began to fhine upon her, fhe faded infensibly; : infomuch that in a little fpace fhe looked rather like an huge Phantom, than a real Subftance. At length, as the Goddess of TRUTH approached ftill nearer to her, fhe fell away entirely, and vanifhed amidst the Brightness of her Prefence; fo that there did not remain the least Trace or Impreffion of her Figure in the Place where fhe had been feen.

AS at the rifing of the Sun the Constellations grow thin, and the Stars go out one after another, till the whole Hemifphere is extinguifhed; fuch was the vanifh ing of the Goddefs: and not only of the Goddess her felf, but of the whole Army that attended her, which fympa thized with their Leader, and fhrunk into Nothings in proportion as the Goddefs difappeared. At the fame time the whole Temple funk, the Fifh betook themselves to the Streams and the wild Beafts to the Woods, the Fountains recovered their Murmurs, the Birds their Voices, the Trees their Leaves, the Flowers their Scents, and the whole Face of Nature its true and genuine Appearance. Tho' I ftill continued afleep, I fancied my felf as it were awakened out of a Dream, when I faw this Region of Prodigies restored to Woods and Rivers, Eields and Meadows.

UPON the Removal of that wild Scene of Wonders, which had very much disturbed my Imagination,. I took.

a full Survey of the Perfons of WIT and TRUTH; for indeed it was impoffible to look upon the firft, without feeing the other at the fame time. There was behind them a strong and compact Body of Figures. The Genius of Heroick Poetry appeared with a Sword in her Hand, and a Lawrel on her Head. Tragedy was crowned with Cyprefs, and covered with Robes dipped in Blood. Satyr had Smiles in her Look, and a Dagger under her Garment. Rhetorick was known by her Thunderbolt; and Comedy by her Mask. After feveral other Figures, Epigram marched up in the Rear, who had been pofted there at the Be ginning of the Expedition, that he might not revolt to the Enemy, whom he was fufpected to favour in his Heart. I was very much awed and delighted with the Appearance of the God of Wit; there was fomething fo amiable and yet fo piercing in his Looks, as infpired me at once with Love and Terror. As I was gazing on him. to my unspeakable Joy, he took a Quiver of Arrows from his Shoulder, in order to make me a Present of it; but as I was reaching out my Hand to receive it of him I knocked it against a Chair, and by that means awaked.

N° 64.

Monday, May 14.

C.

T

Hic vivimus Ambitiofa

Paupertate omnes

Juv..

HE moft improper things we commit in the Con duct of our Lives, we are led into by the Force of Fashion. Inftances might be given, in which a prevailing Custom makes us act against the Rules of Na-ture, Law and common Senfe: but at prefent I fhall con fine my Confideration of the Effect it has upon Mens Minds, by looking into our Behaviour when it is the Fafhion to go into Mourning. The Cuftom of reprefenting the Grief we have for the Lofs of the Dead by our Habits, certainly had its Rife from the real Sorrow of fuch as were too much diftreffed to take the proper Care they. ought of their Drefs. By Degrees it prevailed, that fuch

as

as had this inward Oppreffion upon their Minds, made an Apology for not joining with the reft of the World in their ordinary Diverfions, by a Drefs fuited to their Cons dition. This therefore was at firft affumed by fuch only as were under real Diftrefs; to whom it was a Relief that they had nothing about them fo light and gay as to be irkfome to the Gloom and Melancholy of their inward Reflections, or that might mifreprefent them to others. In Procefs of Time this laudable Diftinction of the Sor→ rowful was loft, and Mourning is now worn by Heirs and Widows. You fee nothing but Magnificence and Solemnity in the Equipage of the Relict, and an Air of Release from Servitude in the Pomp of a Son who has loft a wealthy Father. This Fashion of Sorrow is now become a generous Part of the Ceremonial between Princes and Sovereigns, who in the Language of all Nations are ftyled Brothers to each other, and put on the Purple upon the Death of any Potentate with whom they live in Amity. Courtiers, and all who wish themselves fuch, are immediately feized with Grief from Head to Foot upon this Difafter to their Prince; fo that one may know by the very Buckles of a Gentleman-Ufher, what Degree of Friendship any deceafed Monarch maintained with the Court to which he belongs. A good Courtier's Habit and Behaviour is hieroglyphical on thefe Occafions: He deals much in Whispers, and you may fee he dreffes according to the belt Intelligence.

THE general Affectation among Men, of appearing greater than they are, makes the whole World run into the Habit of the Court. You fee the Lady, who the Day before was as various as a Rainbow, upon the Time appointed for beginning to inourn, as dark as a Cloud. This Humour does not prevail only on those whofe Fortunes can fupport any Change in their Equipage, not on those only whofe Incomes demand the Wantonnefs of new Appearances; but on fuch alfo who have juft enough to cloath them. An old Acquaintance of mine, of Ninety Pounds a Year, who has naturally the Vanity of being a Man of Fafhion deep at his Heart, is very much put to it to bear the Mortality of Princes. He made a new black Suit upon the Death of the King of Spain, he turned it for the King of Portugal, and he now keeps his Chamber while

it

It is fcouring for the Emperor. He is a good Oeconomift in his Extravagance, and makes only a fresh black Button upon his Iron-grey Suit for any Potentate of fmall Territories; he indeed adds his Crape Hatband for a Prince whofe Exploits he has admired in the Gazette. But whatever Compliments may be made on these Occafions, the true Mourners are the Mercers, Silkmen, Lacemen and Milliners. A Prince of a merciful and royal Difpofition would reflect with great Anxiety upon the Profpect of his Death, if he confidered what Numbers would be reduced to Mifery by that Accident only: He would think it of Moment enough to direct, that in the Notification of his Departure, the Honour done to him might be reftrained to thofe of the Houfhold of the Prince to whom it fhould be fignified. He would think a general Mourn ing to be in a lefs Degree the fame Ceremony which is practifed in barbarous Nations, of killing their Slaves to attend the Obfequies of their Kings.

I had been wonderfully at a Lofs for many Months together, to guefs at the Character of a Man who came now and then to our Coffee-houfe: He ever ended a News-paper with this Reflection, well, I fee all the Foreign Princes are in good Health. If you asked, Pray, Sir, What fays the Pofman from Vienna? he anfwered, Make us thankful, the German Princes are all Well: What does he fay from Barcelona? He does not speak but that the Country agrees very well with the new Queen. After very much Enquiry, I found this Man of univerfal Loyalty was a wholefale Dealer in Silks and Ribbons: His Way is, it seems, if he hires a Weaver or Workman, to have it inferted in his Articles, That all this fhall be well and truly performed, provided no foreign Potentate fhall depart this Life within the Time above-mentioned.' It happens in all publick Mournings, that the many Trades which depend upon our Habits, are during that Folly either pinched with prefent Want or terrified with the apparent Approach of it. All the Atonement which Men can make for wanton Expences (which is a fort of infulting the Scarcity under which others labour) is, that the Superfluities of the Wealthy give Supplies to the Neceffities of the Poor; but instead of any other Good arifing from the Affectation of being in courtly Habits off

Mourne

Mourning, all Order feems to be destroyed by it; and the true Honour which one Court does to another on that Occafion, lofes its Force and Efficacy. When a foreign Minifter beholds the Court of a Nation (which flourishes in Riches and Plenty) lay afide, upon the Lofs of his Mafter, all Marks of Splendor and Magnificence, though the Head of fuch a joyful People, he will conceive a greater Idea of the Honour done his Master, than when he sees -the Generality of the People in the fame Habit. When one is afraid to ask the Wife of a Tradesman whom fhe has loft of her Family; and after fome Preparation endeavours to know whom the mourns for; how ridiculous is it to hear her explain her felf, That we have loft. one of the Houfe of Auftria? Princes are elevated fo highly above the rest of Mankind, that it is a prefumptuous Diftinction to take a Part in Honours done to their Memories, except we have Authority for it, by being related in a particular Manner to the Court which pays that Veneration to their Friendship, and feems to exprefs on fuch an Occafion the Senfe of the Uncertainty of human Life in general, by affuming the Habit of Sorrow though in the full Poffeffion of Triumph and Royalty..

R:

N° 65.

A

Tuesday, May 15.

Demetri teque Tigelli

Difcipularum inter Fubeo plorare cathedras. Hor. FTER having at large explained what Wit is, and defcribed the falfe Appearances of it, all that La-bour feems but an ufelefs Enquiry, without fome Time be spent in confidering the Application of it. The Seat of Wit, when one speaks as a Man of the Town and the World, is the Play-houfe; I fhall therefore fill this Paper with Reflections upon the Ufe of it in that Place: The Application of Wit in the Theatre has as ftrong an Effect upon the Manners of our Gentlemen, as the Taste of it has upon the Writings of our Authors. It may, perhaps, look like a very prefumptuous Work, though not Foreign from

the