A MODERN GLOSSARY.

ANGEL. The name of a woman, commonly of a very bad one.

AUTHOR. A laughing-stock. It means likewise a poor fellow, and in general an object of contempt. BEAR. A country, gentleman; or, indeed, any animal upon two legs that doth not make a handsome bow.

BEAUTY. The qualification with which women generally go into keeping.

BEAU. With the article A before it, means a great favourite of all women.

BRUTE. A word implying plain-dealing and sincerity; but more especially applied to a philoso

pher.

CAPTAIN.

COLONEL.

Any stick of wood with a head to it, and a piece of black ribband upon that head.

CREATURE. A quality expression of low contempt, properly confined only to the mouths of ladies who are right honourable.

CRITIC. Like homo, a name common to all the human race.

CoxCOMB. A word of reproach, and yet, at the same time, signifying all that is most commendable.

DAMNATION. A term appropriated to the theatre ; though sometimes more largely applied to all works of invention.

DEATH. The final end of man; as well of the thinking part of the body as of all the other parts.

DRESS. The principal accomplishment of men and

women.

DULNESS. A word applied by all writers to the wit and humour of others.

EATING. A science.

FINE. An adjective of a very peculiar kind, destroying, or, at least, lessening the force of the substantive to which it is joined; as fine gentleman, fine lady, fine house, fine clothes, fine taste;-in all which fine is to be understood in a sense somewhat synonymous with useless.

FOOL. A complex idea, compounded of poverty, honesty, piety, and simplicity.

GALLANTRY. Fornication and adultery.

GREAT. Applied to a thing, signifies bigness; when to a man, often littleness or meanness. GOOD. A word of as many different senses as the Greek work "Exw, or as the Latin Ago: for which reason it is but little used by the polite. HAPPINESS. Grandeur.

HONOUR. Duelling.

HUMOUR. Scandalous lies, tumbling and dancing on the rope.

JUDGE. An old woman.

JUSTICE.

KNAVE. The

pack.

KNOWLEDGE. In general, means knowledge of the town; as this is, indeed, the only kind of knowledge ever spoken of in the polite world.

LEARNING. Pedantry.

LOVE. A word properly applied to our delight in particular kinds of food; sometimes metaphorically spoken of the favourite objects of all our appetites.

MARRIAGE. A kind of traffic carried on between the two sexes, in which both are constantly endeavouring to cheat each other, and both are commonly losers in the end.

MISCHIEF. Fun, sport, or pastime.

MODESTY. Aukwardness, rusticity.

NO BODY. All the people in Great Britain, except about 1200.

NONSENSE. Philosophy, especially the philosophi cal writings of the antients, and more especially of Aristotle.

OPPORTUNITY. The season of cuckoldom.
PATRIOT. A candidate for a place at court.
POLITICKS. The art of getting such a place.
PROMISE. Nothing.

RELIGION. A word of no meaning; but which serves as a bugbear to frighten children with. RICHES. The only thing upon earth that is really valuable, or desirable.

ROGUE. A man of a different party from yourRASCAL. self.

}

SERMON. A sleeping-dose.

SUNDAY. The best time for playing at cards. SHOCKING. An epithet which fine ladies apply to almost every thing. It is, indeed, an interjection (if I may so call it) of delicacy.

TEMPERANCE. Want of spirit.

TASTE. The present whim of the town, whatever it be.

TEASING. Advice; chiefly that of a husband.

VIRTUE. }Subjects of discourse.

VICE.

WIT. Profaneness, indecency, immorality, scurrility, mimickry, buffoonery. Abuse of all good men, and especially of the clergy.

WORTH. Power, rank, wealth.

WISDOM. The art of acquiring all three.

WORLD. Your own acquaintance.

NUMB. 8. TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1752,

Ambubaiarum collegia, pharmacopolæ,
Mendici, mimi, balatrones; hoc genus omne.

A motley mixture! in long wigs, in bags,
In silks, in crapes, in garters, and in rags.

HOR,

DUNCIAD.

THE following is a literal copy of the fragment mentioned in my sixth paper. In what language it was originally writ, is impossible to determine. To determine this, would be, indeed, to ascertain who these Robinhoodians were; a point, as we shall shew in our comment, of the utmost difficulty. From the apparent difference in the style, and spelling of the translation, it seems to have been done into English by several hands, and probably in distant ages. I have placed my conjectures concerning some doubtful words at the bottom of the page, without venturing to disturb the text.

IMPORTINENT * QUESTIONS CUNSARNING RELIDGIN AND GUBERMINT, HANDYLED BY THE ROBINHOODIANS.

March 8, 1751.

THIS evenin the questin at the Robinhood was, Whether relidgin was of any youse to a sosyaty; baken bifor mee To'mmas Whytebred, baker.

James Skotchum, barber, spak as floweth : Sir, I ham of pinion, that relidgin can be of no youse to any mortal sole; bycause as why, relidgin is no youse to trayd, and if relidgin be of no youse to trayd, how ist it yousefool to sosyaty. Now no body can deny but that a man maye kary on his trayd

Perhaps impertinent.

I think this should be read taken, and the baker's being intent on his trade occasioned the corruption.

very wel without relidgin; nay, and better two, for then he maye wurk won day in a wik mor than at present; whereof no body can saye but that seven is more than six: besides, if we haf no relidgin we shall have no pairsuns *, and that will be a grate savin to the sosyaty; and it is a † maksum in trayd, that a peny sav'd is a peny got. WhereofThe end of this speech seems to be wanting, as doth the beginning of the next.

different opinion from the learned gentleman who spoke first to the question: First, I deny that trade can be carried on without religion; for how often is the sanction of an oath necessary in contracts, and how can we have oaths without religion? As to the gaining one day in seven, which the gentleman seems to lay much stress upon, I do admit it to be an argument of great force; but I question, as the people have been long used to idleness on that day, whether it would be easy to make them work upon it; and, consequently, if they had no churches to go to, whether they would not resort to some worse place? As to the expence of parsons, I cannot think it is prejudicial to the society in general; for the parsons are members of this society; and whether they who do but little, or others who do nothing at all for their livelihood, possess their revenues, is a matter of no manner of concern to the publick. Indeed, what the gentleman says concerning the Dutch, I shall own is highly to the honour of those industrious people; and I question not but if religion was to interfere with any branch of our trade, there is still so much good sense left in this nation, that we should presently sacrifice the shadow to the substance. But though some instances should occur, in which religion may be prejudicial, it cannot be fairly argued from thence, that religion is therefore of no use to the + Read maxim.

*Read parsons.