Add, that the Rich have ftill a Gibe in Stores
And will be monstrous witty on the Poor;
For the torn Surtout and the tatter'd Veft,
The Wretch and all his Wardrobe are a Fest:
The greafie Gown fully'd with often turning.
Gives a good Hint to fay the Man's in Mourning;
Or if the Shoe be ript, or patch is put,
He's wounded! See the Plaister on his Foot.

Dryd.

"Tis on this Occafion that he afterwards adds this Refletion which I have chofen for my Motto...

Want is the Scorn of ev'ry wealthy Fool,
And Wit in Rags is turn'd to Ridicule.

Dryd.

IT must be confefs'd, that few things make a Man appear more. defpicable, or more prejudice his Hearers againft what he is going to offer, than an aukward or pitiful Drefs; infomuch that I fancy, had Tully himself pronounced one of his Orations with a Blanket about his Shoulders, more People would have laughed at his Drefs than have admired his Eloquence. This laft Reflection made we wonder at a Set of Men, who, without being fubjected to it by the Unkindness of their Fortunes, are: contented to draw upon themfelves the Ridicule of the World in this Particular, I mean such as take it into their Heads, that the firft. regular Step to be a Wit is to commence a Sloven. It is certain nothing has fo much debafed that, which must have been otherwife fo great a Character; and I know not how to account for it, unless it may poffibly be in Complaifance to thofe narrow Minds who can have no Notion of the fame Perfon's poffeffing different Accomplishments; or that it is a fort of Sacrifice which fome Men are contented to make to Calumny, by allowing it to faften on one Part of their Character, while they are endeavouring to eftablish another. Yet however unaccountable this foolish Custom is, I am afraid it could plead a long Prefcription; and probably gave too much Occafion for the yulgar Definition ftill remaining among us of an Heathen Philofpher.

I have feen the Speech of a Terra-fillius, fpoken in King Charles II's Reign; in which he defcribes two very eminent Men, who were perhaps the greatest Scholars of

their

their Age; and after having mentioned the entire Friendfhip between them, concludes, That they had but one Mind, one Purfe, one Chamber, and one Hat. The Men of Bufi. nefs were also infected with a fort of Singularity little better than this. I have heard my Father fay, that a broad-brimm'd Hat, fhort Hair, and unfolded Handkerchief, were in his Time abfolutely neceffary to denote a notable Man; and that he had known two or three who afpired to the Characters of very notable, wear ShoocArings with great Succefs.

TO the Honour of our prefent Age it must be allowed, that fome of our greatest Genius's for Wit and Bufiness have almoft intirely broke the Neck of thefe Abfurdities.

VICTOR, after having difpatched the most important Affairs of the Commonwealth, has appeared at an Affembly, where all the Ladies have declared him the genteeleft Man in the Company; and in Articus, tho every way one of the greatest Genius's the Age has produced, one fees nothing particular in his Drefs or Carriage to denote his Pretenfions to Wit and Learning: So that at prefent a Man may venture to cock up his Hat, and wear a fashionable Whig, without being taken for a Rake or a Fool.

THE Medium between a Fop and a Sloven is what a Man of Senfe would endeavour to keep; yet I remember Mr. Osbourn advises his Son to appear in his Habit rather ́above than below his Fortune; and tells him, that he will find an handfome Suit of Cloaths always procures fome additional Refpect. I have indeed my felf obferved, that my Banker ever bows loweft to me when I wear my full-bottom'd Whig; and writes me Mr. or Efq; accordingly as he fees me dreffed.

I fhall conclude this Paper with an Adventure which I was my felf an Eye-witness of very lately.

I happened the other Day to call in at a celebrated Coffee-houfe near the Temple. I had not been there long when there came in an elderly Man very meanly dreffed, and fat down by me; he had a thread-bare lofe Coat on, which it was plain, he wore to keep himfelf warm, not to favour his under Suit, which feemed to have been at least his Contemporary: His fhort Wig and Hat were both answerable to the reft of his Apparel. He was no

8

and

fooner

fooner feated than he called for a Difh of Tea; but as feveral Gentlemen in the Room wanted other things, the Boys of the Houfe did not think themselves at Leifure to mind him. I could obferve the old Fellow was very uneafie at the Affront, and at his being obliged to repeat his Comands feveral Times to no Purpole; 'till at laft one of the Lads prefented him with fome ftale Tea in a broken Dish, accompanied with a Plate of brown Sugar, which fo raised his Indignation, that after feveral obliging Appellations of Dog and Rafcal, he asked him aloud before the whole Company, Why he must be used with lefs Refpect than that Fop there? pointing to a well-dreffed young Gentleman who was drinking Tea at the oppofite Table. The Boy of the Houfe replied with a great deal of Pertnefs, That his Mafter had two forts of Cuftomers, and that the Gentleman at the other Table had given him many a Six-Pence for wiping his Shoes. By this time the young Templar, who found his Honour concerned in the Difpute, and that the Eyes of the whole Coffee-hofe were upon him, had thrown afide a Paper he had in his. Hand, and was coming towards us, while we at the Table made what hafte we could to get away from the impending Quarrel, but were all of us furprifed to fee him as he approached nearer put on an Air of Deference and Refpect. To whom the old Man faid, Hark you, Sirrah, I'll pay off your extravagant Bills once more, but will take effectual Care for the future, that your Prodigality fhall not spirit up a Parcel of Rafcals, to infult your Father.

THO' I by no means approve either the Impudence of the Servants or the Extravagance of the Son, I can, not but think the old. Gentleman was in fome meafure juftly ferved for walking in Masquerade, I mean appearing in a Drefs fo much beneath his Quality and Eftate. X

Thursday,

I

Maximas Virtutes Facere omnes neceffe eft Voluptate do--
minante.
Tull, de Fin.

Know no one Character that gives Reafon a greater Shock, at the fame time that it presents a good ridicu lous Image to the Imagination, than that of a Man of Wit and Pleasure about the Town. This Defcription of a Man of Fashion spoken by fome with a Mixture of Scorn and Ridicule, by others with great Gravity as a laudable Diftinction, is in every Body's Mouth that fpends any Time in Converfation. My Friend WILL. HONEYCOMB has this Expreffion very frequently; and I never could understand by the Story which follows, upon his Mention of fuch a one, but that his Man of Wit and Pleafure was either a Drunkard too old for Wenching, or a young lewd Fellow with fome Livelinefs, who would converfe with you, receive kind Offices of you, and at the fame time debauch your Sifter, or lie with your Wife: According to his Defcription, a Man of Wit when he could have Wenches for Crowns a-piece which he liked quite as well, would be fo extravagant as to bribe Servants, make falfe. Friendships, fight Relations: I fay, according to him, plain and fimple Vice was too little for a Man of Wit and Pleasure, but he would leave an easie and acceffible Wickedness, to come at the fame thing with only the Addition of certain Falfhood and poffible Mürder. WILL. thinks the Town grown very dull, in that we do not hear fo much as we used to do of thefe Coxcombs, whom (without obferving it) he defcribes as the most infamous Rogues in Nature, with relation to Friendship, Love, or Čonverfation.

WHEN Pleafure is made the chief Pursuit of Life, it will neceffarily follow that fuch Monsters as these will arife from a constant Application to fuch Blandifhments as naturally root out the Force of Reafon and Reflection,

and.

and fubftitute in their Place a general Impatience of Thought, and a conftant Pruriency of inordinate Defire.

PLEASURE, when it is a Man's chief Purpofe, difappoints it felf; and the conftant Application to it palls the Faculty of enjoying it, tho' it leaves the Senfe of our Inability for that we wifh, with a Difrelish of every thing else. Thus the intermediate Seafons of the Man of Pleasure, are more heavy than one would impofe upon the vileft Criminal. Take him when he is awaked too foon after a Debauch, or disappointed in following a worthlefs Woman without Truth, and there is no Man living whofe Being is fuch a Weight or Vexation as his is. He is an utter Stranger to the pleafing Reflexions in the Evening of a well-fpent Day, or the Gladnefs of Heart or Quicknefs of Spirit in the Morning after profound Sleep or indolent Slumbers. He is not to be at Eafe any longer than he can keep Reafon and good Senfe without his Curtains; otherwife he will be haunted with the Reflection, that he could not believe fuch a one the Woman that upon Tryal he found her. What has he got by his Conqueft, but to think meanly of her for whom a Day or two before he had the highest Honour and of himfelf for, perhaps, wronging the Man whom of all Men living he himself would leaft willingly have injured?

PLEASURE feizes the whole Man who addicts himfelf to it, and will not give him Leifure for any good Office in Life which contradicts the Gaiety of the prefent Hour. You may indeed obferve in People of Pleasure a -certain Complacency and Abfence of all Severity, which the Habit of a loose unconcerned Life gives them; but tell the Man of Pleasure your fecret Wants, Cares, or Sorrows, and you will find he has given up the Delicacy of his Paffions to the Cravings of his Appetites. He little knows the perfect Joy he lofes, for the difappointing Gratifications which he purfues. He looks at Pleasure as The approaches, and comes to him with the Recommendation of warm Wishes, gay Looks, and graceful Motion; but he does not obferve how the leaves his Prefence with Disorder, Impotence, downcaft Shame, and confcious Imperfection. She makes our Youth inglòrious, our Age thameful.