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. With that he fell into a Flood of Tears, and wept aloud. "Why should not Pharamond hear the Anguish he only 66 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, R N° 85. Thursday, June 7. Interdum fpeciofa locis, morataque recte Hor T is the Cuftom of the Mahometans, if they fee any printed or written Paper upon the Ground, to take it up and lay it afide carefully, as not knowing but it 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 fe 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 Candlefticks. 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 PaAtry-Cook had made ufe of it through Chance or Waggery, for the Defence of that fuperftitious Viande, I 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 Reafon, 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 likewife 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 House in the Country, for I cannot for my Heart leave a Room, before I have thoroughly ftudied the Walls of it, and examined the feveral printed Papers which are ufually 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, deftitute of all the Helps and Ornaments of Art. The Tale of it is a pretty tragical Story, and pleases for no other Reafon but because it is a Copy of Nature. There is even a despicable Simplicity in the Verfe; and yet because 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 reason 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 Expreffion, 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 impof, fible for a Reader of common Humanity not to be af fected 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 juft the fame kind of Fiction which one of the greateft of the Latin Poets has made use 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 Tur des that took pity on him. Me fabulofa Vulture in Appulo, Texere I have heard that the late Lord Dorfet, who had the greatest Wit tempered with the greatest Candour, and was one of the finest Criticks as well as the beft Poets 6 of of his Age, had a numerous Collection of old English Ballads, and took a particular Pleasure in the Reading of them. I can affirm the fame of Mr. Dryden, and know 'feveral of the most refined Writers of our present Age who are of the fame Humour. I might likewife refer my Reader to Moliere's Thoughts on this Subject, as he has expreffed them in the Charater of the Mifanthrope; but those only who are endowed with a true Greatnefs or Soul and Genius can divest themselves of the little Images of Ridicule, and admire Nature in her Simplicity and Nakedness. As for the little conceited Wits of the Age, who can only fhew their Judgment by finding Fault, they cannot be fupposed to admire thefe Productions which have nothing to recommend them but the Beauties of Nature, when they do not know how to relish even thofe Compofitions that, with all the Beauties of Nature, have alfo the additional Advantages of Art. L . N 86. Friday, June 8. Heu quam difficile eft crimen non prodere vultu! Ovid. T HERE are feveral Arts which all Men are in fome measure Mafters of, without having been at the Pains of learning them. Every one that Ipeaks or reafons is a Grammarian and a Logician, tho' he may be wholly unacquainted with the Rules of Grammar or Logick, as they are delivered in Books and Systems. In the fame manner, every one is in fome Degree a Master of that Art which is generally diftinguilhed by the Name of Phifiognomy; and naturally forms to himself the Character or Fortune of a Stranger, from the Features and Lineaments of his Face. We are no fooner prefented to any one we never faw before, but we are immediately ftruck with the Idea of a proud, a referved, an affable, or a good-natured Man; and upon our firft going into a Company of Strangers, our Benevolence or Averfion, Awe or Contempt, rifes na turally turally towards feveral particular Perfons, before we have heard them fpeak a fingle Word, or fo much as know who they are. EVERY Paffion gives a particular Caft to the Countenance, and is apt to discover it felf in fome Feature or other. I have seen an Eye curfe for half an Hour together, and an Eye-brow call a Man Scoundrel. Nothing is more common than for Lovers to complain, refent, languish, despair, and die, in dumb Show. For my own Part, I am fo apt to frame a Notion of every Man's Humour or Circumstances by his Looks, that I have fometimes employed my felf from Charing-Crofs to the RoyalExchange in drawing the Character of those who have paffed by me. When I fee a Man with a four rivell'd Face, I cannot forbear pitying his Wife; and when I meet with an open ingenuous Countenance, think on the Happiness of his Friends, his Family, and Relations. I cannot recollect the Author of a famous Saying to a Stranger who stood filent in his Company, Speak that I may fee thee: But, with Submiffion, I think we may be better known by our Looks than by our Words, and that a Man's Speech is much more eafily disguised than his Countenance. In this Cafe, however, I think the Air of the whole Face is much more expreffive than the Lines of it: The Truth of it is, the Air is generally nothing elle but the inward Difpofition of the Mind made vifible. THOSE who have established Phyfiognomy into an Art, and laid down Rules of judging Mens Tempers by their Faces, have regarded the Features much more than the Air. Martial has a pretty Epigram on this Subject, Crine ruber, niger ore, brevis pede, lumine lafus, Thy Beard and Head are of a different Die; I have feen a very ingenious Author on this Subject, who founds his Speculations on the Suppofition, That as a Man hath in the Mould of his Face a remote Likeness VOL. II. B to |