perplexity, I found that our words froze in the air, before they could reach the ears of the perfons to whom they were spoken. I was foon confirmed in the conjecture, when, upon the increase of the cold, the whole company grew dumb, or rather deaf; for every man was fenfible, as we afterwards found, that he spoke as well as ever; but the founds no fooner took air, than they were condenfed and loft. It was now a miferable fpectacle to fee us nodding and gaping at one another, every man talking, and no man heard. One might observe a seaman, that could hail a fhip at a league's dif tance, beckoning with his hand, ftraining his lungs, and tearing his throat; but all in vain. -Nec vox nec verba fequuntur. -Nor voice, nor words enfu'd. QVID. R. WYNNE. We continued here three weeks in this difmal plight. At length, upon a turn of wind, the air about us began to thaw. Our cabbin was immediately filled with a dry clattering found, which I afterwards found to be the crackling of confonants that broke above our heads, and were often mixed with a gentle hiffing, which I imputed to the letter S, that occurs fo frequently in the English tongue. I foon after felt a breeze of whispers rufhing by my ears for thofe being of a foft and gentle fubftance, immediately liquefied in the warm wind that blew across our cabbin. These were foon followed by fyllables and fhort words, and at length by entire fentences, that melted fooner or later, as they were more or lefs congealed; fo that we now heard every thing that had been Spoken during the whole three weeks that we had been Silent, if I may ufe that expreffion. It was now very early in the morning, and yet to my furprife, I heard fome body fay, "Sir John, it is midnight, and time "for the fhip's crew. to go to bed." This I knew to be the Pilot's voice, and upon recollecting myfelf, I concluded that he had fpoken thefe words to me fome days before, though I could not hear them until the prefent thaw. My reader will eafily imagine, how the whole crew was amazed to hear every man talking, and fee no maa man open his mouth. In the midst of this great fuprife we were all in, we heard a volley of oaths and curfes, lafting for a long while, and uttered in a very hoarfe voice, which I knew belonged to the Boatfwain, who was a very choleric fellow, and had taken his opportunity of curfing and fwearing at me when he thought I could not hear him; for I had feveral times given him the strappado on that account, as I did not fail to repeat.. it for thefe his pious foliloquies, when I got him on fhipboard. I must not omit the names of feveral Beauties in Wapping, which were heard every now and then, in the midit of a long figh that accompanied them; as, dear Kate! pretty Mrs. Peggy! when shall 1 fee my Sue again? This betrayed feveral amours which had been concealed until that time, and furnished us with a great deal of mirth in our return to England. When this confufion of voices was pretty well over, though I was afraid to offer at fpeaking, as fearing I fhould not be heard, I propofed a vifit to the Dutch cabbin, which lay about a mile further up in the country. My crew were extremely rejoiced to find they had again recovered their hearing; though every man uttered his voice with the fame apprehenfions that I had done, -Et timide verba intermiffa retentat. OVID. Met. lib. 1. ver. 747. And try'd his tongue, his filence foftly broke. DRYDEN. At about half a mile's diftance from our cabbin, we heard the groanings of a bear, which at firft ftartled us; but upon enquiry we were informed by fome of our company that he was dead, and now lay in falt, having been killed upon that very fpot about a fortnight before, ia the time of the froft. Not far from the fame place, wes were likewife entertained with fome pofthumous fnarls and barkings of a fox. We at length arrived at the little Dutch fettlement ; and upon entering the room, found it filled with fighs" that fmett of brandy, and feveral other unfavoury founds, Y 3 thas that were altogether inarticulate. My Valet, who was an Irishman, fell into fo great a rage at what he heard, that he drew his fword; but not knowing where to lay the blame, he put it up again. We were stunned with thefe confufed noifes, but did not hear a fingle word until about half an hour after; which I afcribed to the harth and obdurate founds of that language, which wanted more time than ours to melt, and become audible. After having here met with a very hearty welcome, we went to the cabbin of the French, who, to make amends for their three weeks filence, were talking and difputing with greater rapidity and confufion, than I ever heard in an affembly even of that nation. Their language, as I found, upon the firft giving of the weather, fell afunder and diffolved. I was here convinced of an error, into which I had before fallen; for I fancied, that for the freezing of the found, it was neceffary for it to be wrapped up, and, as it were, preserved in breath: But I found my mistake, when I heard the found of a kit playing a minuet over our heads. the occafion of it; upon which one of the company told. me, it would play there above a week longer, if the thaw continued; for, fays he, finding ourfelves bereft of fpeech, we prevailed upon one of the company, who had his musical inftrument about him, to play to us from morning to night; all which time we employed in dancing, in order to diffipate our chagrin, & tuer le temps. I asked Here Sir John gives very good philofophical reafons why the kit could not be heard during the froft; but as they are fomething prolix, I pass them over in filence, and fhall only obferve, that the honourable Author feems by his quotations to have been well verfed in the ancient Poets, which perhaps raised his fancy above the ordinary pitch of hiftorians, and very much contributed to the embellishment of his writings.. Saturday N° 255. Saturday, November 25, 1710. Nec te tua plurima, Pantheu, Labentem pietas, nec Apollinis infula texit. VIRG. n. 2. ver. 429. Nor, Pantheus, thee thy mitre, nor the bands DRYDEN. From my own Apartment, November 24. " SIR, I To the Cenfor of Great Britain. Am at prefent under very great difficulties, which it is not in the power of any one, befides yourself,, "to redrefs. Whether or no you fhall think it a proper "cafe to come before your Court of Honour, I cannot tell; but thus it is. I am Chaplain to an honourable family, very regular at the hours of devotion, and I hope of an unblameable life; but for not offering to rife at fecond courfe, I found my Patron and his Lady "very fullen and out of humour, though at firft I did "not know the reafon of it. At length, when I hap"pened to help myself to a jelly, the Lady of the houfe, otherwise a devout woman, told me, that it did not "become a man of my cloth to delight in such frivolous food: But as I ftill continued to fit out the laft courfe, "I was yesterday informed by the butler, that his Lord"fhip had no farther occafion for my fervice. All which is humbly fubmitted to your confideration, by, "Sir, "Your most humble fervant, &c." The your com The cafe of this Gentleman deferves pity; especially if he loves fweetmeats, to which, if I may guess by his Letter, he is no enemy. In the mean time, I have often wondered at the indecency of difcharging the holieft man from the table, as foon as the most delicious parts of the entertainment are ferved up, and could never conceive a reafon for so abfurd a custom. Is it because a liquorish palate, or a fweet tooth, as they call it, is not confiftent with the fanctity of his character? This is but a trifling pretence. No man of the most rigid virtue gives offence by any exceffes in plum-pudding or plum-porridge, and that becaufe they are the firft parts of the dinner. Is there any thing that tends to incitation in sweetmeats more than in ordinary dishes ? Certainly not. Sugar-plums are a very innocent diet, and Conferves of a much colder nature than mon pickles. I have fometimes thought that the ceremony of the Chaplain's flying away from the defert was typical and figurative, to mark out to the company how they ought to retire from all the luscious baits of temptation, and deny their appetites the gratifications that are moft pleafing to them; or at leaft, to fignify that we ought to ftint ourselves in our moft lawful fatisfactions, and not make our pleafure, but our fupport, the end of eating: But moft certainly, if fuch a leffon of temperance had been neceffary at a table, our Clergy would have recommended it to all the Lay-masters of families, and not have disturbed other mens tables with fuch unfeasonable examples of abftinence. The original therefore of this barbarous custom, I take to have been merely accidental. The Chaplain retired, out of pure complaisance, to make room for the removal of the difhes, or poffibly for the ranging of the defert. This by degrees grew into a duty, until at length,. as the fafhion improved, the good man found himself cut off from the third part of the entertainment; and if the arrogance of the Patron goes on, it is not impoffible but, in the next generation, he may fee himfelf reduced to the tithe, or tenth dish of the table; a fufficient caution not to part with any privilege we are once poffeffed of. It was ufual for the Prieft in old. times to feaft upon the facrifice, nay the honey-cake, while the hungry laity looked |