MISCELLANIE S

The CAUSE of INCONSTANCY.

OW have I heard the Fair lament

HOW

Men's Falfhood and their wretched Fate ! "How few are with their Spouse content,

"Or conftant to their fighing Mate;

"How feldom Souls below are join'd,
"For one another fram'd above;
"How feldom Pairs of Hearts we find
"By Heaven ordain'd for mutual Love."

Thus Men's inconftant Souls they blame,
For want of Knowledge or of Thought;
While all the while 'tis in the Frame
Of both their Bodies lies the Fault.

When Jove had made this little Ball
For Four-leg'ft Beafts and creeping Things,
At length he form'd, to govern All,
A Two-legg'd Creature without Wings:

Millions of thefe he made at once,

To fave himself all future Trouble;
And Men and Women for the nonce
By Pairs, like Tallies, he made double.

Then from Olympus' dreadful Top,
Well fhaken in a Bag together,

He tofs'd 'em down, and let them drop
Just as it pleas'd the Wind and Weather.

Some

Some fell in Afia, fome in Greece;
In England fome, and fome in Spain;
But feldom Two of the fame Piece,
In the fame Climate met again.

Hence Men, when grown to riper Years,
Remembring this their former Making,
Hunt up and down to find their Pairs,

And Women too in the fame Taking :

Some prove too fhort, and fome too tall;
This is too big, and that too little :
A Fault they're fure to find in all,
Few of 'em Talley to a Tittle.

By Chance a Pair may meet and love,
And fpend their Lives in Blifs together:
But when they tumbled from Above,
It must be mighty temp'rate Weather.

From hence the murmuring Fair may fee
Men's Hearts are not to blame one bit;
Our Souls would never disagree,

If once our Bodies did but fit.

To the AUTHOR of the CAUSE of INCONSTANCY.

WAS well, excelling Youth! for thee,

'TW

Jove order'd when he gave us Life,

That did our Bodies but agree,

Our Souls fhould never be at Strife.

A Nymph you happily may find,

With whom t'unbend your Leisure Hours,
One who is gen'rous, chafte, and kind,
Whofe Body tallies just to yours.

Not

HIS Month has made very little Alteration in the Affairs of Europe: Warlike Preparations go on every where, and those Powers which at firft feem'd arming only to be only upon the Defenfive, appear now to have fomething farther in View; fo that many are of Opinion that a War in Europe is more probable than ever.

The Chevalier de St. George is, they tell us, upon the Point of being reconciled to the Princess his Wife; the Terms of this Reconciliation are, that the new created Duke and Dutchefs of Inverness are to leave the Palace, and to retire into private Lodgings; and on the other hand, the Princefs is to discharge Mrs. Sheldon from her Service. Mean while there are other Advices from Rome, which fay, that the Chevalier has privately left that Place; nor is it known what Rout he has taken.

The Foreign News Writers have very much amus'd the World for fome little Time paft, with a Story of a Treaty between the Emperor, the Czarina, and the King of Sweden. It feems that the Emperor has acceded to a Treaty formerly concluded between his Swedish Majefty and the late Czar; but in what manner his Acceffion is look'd upon by Sweden in the prefent Juncture, or how far that Crown was concerned in inviting him to do it, is ftill un

known.

The Defigns formed by the Cazarina, in Favour of the Duke of Holftein, are not like to be put in Execution this Summer; that

Princefs

Princess had undoubtedly in View the reftoring him to his former Dominions, now in Poffeffion of the King of Denmark; and the Fleet fhe had fitted out, and the Forces fhe had fent on Board it, were certainly fufficiently for that purpofe; but the Danish Fleet being joined by the English Squadron of 21 Men of War now in the Baltick, will difconcert all her Designs, and put the Czarina upon taking fuch Measures as may fecure her own Ships from fo powerful a Force, rather than upon Thoughts of acting offenfively.

The King of Sweden has not yet acceded to the Treaty of Hanover; and his Majefty urges for his Reason, that it is a Matter of fuch Confequence that he will not do it till the States of the Kingdom are affembled, and have given their Confent to it.

The Poles feem diffatisfied with the Treaty concluded between their King, the Emperor, and the Czarina, being jealous that there are fome fecret Articles relating to the Succeffion of that Kingdom. Mean while there is no great probability of adjufting the Differences with the Proteftants of that Kingdom; the Poles will not fecure them in their juft Rights, and the others will not give them up. That Country feems very far from being in a tranquil Condition. In Lithuania there have been very great Disturbances, occafioned by an Election, which has been carried to fuch a height, that 30000 Men had armed and mounted on Horseback; but the General was fending Forces to quell this Infurrection, whofe Confequence might otherwife prove dangerous.

We have no kind of News this Month either from Perfia or Turkey. Nor does Germany yield much more. They talk of frequent Councils of War, and yet feem to make no great Preparations; nor are they alarm'd at any of the Movements of the French Troops upon the Frontiers; a plain Indication that they have no great Notion of a Rupture. Mean while they talk as big as ever, and feem obftinately bent upon alerting all their Demands, and fupporting their Oftend Company. A folemn Deputation, confifting of the Chancellor of the Empire, and feveral great Officers, is fent to the Court of Bavaria, to invite that Elector and his Brother of Cologne, to accede to the Treaty of Vienna.

Letters from France bring the Confirmation of his moft Chriftian Majefty's fteady Refolution to ftand by his Allies, in fpite of all the Endeavours that have been used to draw him into other Engagements. There is little elfe material in that Kingdom, except their Hopes of the Queen's being with Child, her Majefty having had the ufual Symptoms of Pregnancy.

In

In Spain they feem very much alarmed at the Naval Preparations of the English, efpecially at the fending a Squadron to the Weft-Indies, and preparing another for the Mediterranean. This has entirely broke the Duke of Ripperda's Measures: This Minifter bears a deadly Hatred to the English Nation, and can never mention them without a particular Rancour. He had affured the King his Mafter, that he would this Summer put Gibraltar and Port-Mahon into his Poffeffion: but as the Defigns of Spain are like to turn very much to their own Difadvantage, that Minifter's Friends are in very great Pain for him, left he fhould not be able to fupport his Credit much longer; and this they fear the more, because the Marquis de Grimaldo, who all along declared for Peace, and advised the taking fuch Meafures as now plainly appear would have been of more Advantage to Spain, was on all Occafions brow-beaten by him in Council, and his Forefight of what would happen treated as whimsical Fancies and idle Imaginations.

We have yet no Account of the Crown of Portugal's having acceded to the Treaty of Vienna.

The States of Utretcht and Groninghen have not yet fent their Confent to the Acceffion of the States-General to the Treaty of Hanover; but the other Five having done it, will foon prevail upon these Two. Mean while the Marquis de San Philippo has prefented a Second Memorial to their High Mightineffes in the following Terms.

HE Under-written Marquis de San Philippo, Ambaffador of Spain, reprefents to your Lordfhips, by exprefs Order of the King his Mafter, that his Majefty has feen your Anfwer (dated the 24th of January laft) to the Secretary Olivieri, then charged with the Affairs of the Crown to the States-General. The King read with Pleasure the Expreffions it contain'd, of your Lordships fincere Friendship for his Majefty, and of your good • Inclination to preferve the Peace and Tranquility of Europe. It is the Object of all the Pains his Majefty takes, to compafs fo defirable an End, and to rid your Lordships of all Manner of • Doubt.

'Nevertheless, your Refufal to admit his Majefty's Mediation between the Emperor and the States-General, is Reafon fufficient for him to wave it, and to fay no more of entring into a Negotiation about the Oftend Company.

It