'traordinary in this, that I will partake in the • Affliction; and be it what it will, fhe is fo much your Friend, that she knows fhe may command what Services I can do her. The Man fat down by me, and spoke fo like a Brother, that I told him my whole Affliction. He fpoke of the Injury done me with fo much Indignation, and animated me against the Love he said he faw I had for the Wretch who would have betrayed 'me, with fo much Reason and Humanity to my • Weakness, that I doubt not of my Perfeverance. His Wife and he are my Comforters, and I am under no more Restraint in their Company than if I were alone; and I doubt not but in a small • Time Contempt and Hatred will take Place of the Remains of Affection to a Rascal.

I am, SIR,

Tour Affectionate Reader,

DORINDA.

Mr. SPECTATOR,

Had the Misfortune to be an Uncle before I knew my Nephews from my Nieces, and now we are grown up to better Acquaintance they ⚫ deny me the Refpe&t they owe. One upbraids me with being their Familiar, another will hard⚫ly be perfuaded that I am an Uncle, a third calls me_Little Uncle, and a fourth tells me there is • no Duty at all due to an Uncle. I have a Brother-in-law whofe Son will win all my Affection, unless you fhall think this worthy of your • Cognizance,and will be pleafed to prefcribe fome 'Rules for our future reciprocal Behaviour. It will be worthy the Particularity of your Genius to VOL. VI. ! lay

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lay down Rules for his Conduct who was as it were born an old Man, in which you will much

oblige,

T

N° 403.

SIR,

Your most obedient Servant,

Cornelius Nepos.

Thursday, June 12.

Qui mores hominum multorum vidit

Hor.

WHEN I confider this great City in its fe

veral Quarters and Divifions, I look upon it as an Aggregate of various Nations diftinguifhed from each other by their refpective Cuffoms, Manners and Interefts. The Courts of two Countries do not fo much differ from one another, as the Court and City in their peculiar ways of Life and Conversation. In fhort, the Inhabitants of St. James's, notwithstanding they live under the fame Laws, and fpeak the fame Language, are a diftin&t People from thofe of Cheapfide, who are likewife removed from thofe of the Temple on the one fide, and those of Smithfield on the other, by feveral Climates and Degrees in their way of Thinking and Converfing together.

FOR this Reason, when any publick Affair is upon the Anvil, I love to hear the Reflections that arife upon it in the several Districts and Parifhes of London and Westminster, and to ramble up and down a whole Day together, in order to make my felf acquainted with the Opinions of my ingenious Countrymen. By this means I know the Faces of all the principal Politicians within the Bills of Mortality; and as every Coffee-house has fome particular Statesman belonging to it, who is the Mouth of the Street where he lives, I always take care to place my felf near him, in order to

know

know his Judgment on the prefent Posture of Affairs. The laft Progrefs that I made with this Intention, was about three Months ago, when we had a Current Report of the King of France's Death. As I forefaw this would produce a new Face of things in Europe, and many curious Speculations in our British Coffee-houses, I was very defirous to learn the Thoughts of our most eminent Politicians on that Occasion.

THATI might begin as near the Fountain-head as poffible, I first of all called in at St. James's, where I found the whole outward Room in a Buzz of Politicks. The Speculations were but very indifferent towards the Door, but grew finer as you advanced to the upper end of the Room, and were fo very much improved by a Knot of Theorifts, who fat in the inner Room, within the Steams of the Coffee-pot, that I there heard the whole Spanish Monarchy difpofed of, and all the Line of Bourbon provided for in less than a Quarter of an Hour.

I afterwards called in at Giles's, where I faw a Board of French Gentlemen fitting upon the Life and Death of their Grand Monarque. Thofe among them who had efpoufed the Whigg Intereft, very pofitively affirmed, that he departed this Life about a Week fince, and therefore proceeded without any further delay to the Release of their Friends on the Gallies, and to their own Re-establishment; but finding they could not agree among themselves, I proceeded on my intended Progrefs.

UPON my arrival at Jenny Man's, I faw an alerte young Fellow that cocked his Hat upon a Friend of his who entered juft at the fame Time with my felf, and accofted him after the fol. lowing manner. Well Jack, the old Prig is dead at laft. Sharp's the Word. Now or ne

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ver,

ver, Boy. Up to the Walls of Paris directly. With feveral other deep Reflections of the fame Nature.

I met with very little variation in the Politicks between Charing-Crofs and Covent-Garden. And upon my going into Will's I found their Difcourfe was gone off from the Death of the French King to that of Monfieur Boileau, Racine, Corneille, and feveral other Poets, whom they regretted on this Occafion, as Perfons who would have obliged the World with very noble Elegies on the Death of fo great a Prince, and fo eminent a Patron of Learning.

AT a Coffee-houfe near the Temple, I found a couple of young Gentlemen engaged very fmartly in a Difpute on the Succeffion to the Spanish Monarchy. One of them feemed to have been retained as Advocate for the Duke of Anjou, the other for his Imperial Majefty. They were both for regulating the Title to that Kingdom by the Statute Laws of England; but finding them going out of my Depth I paffed forward to Paul's Church-Yard, where I liftned with great Attention to a Learned Man, who gave the Company an Account of the deplorable State of France during the Minority of the deceafed King.

I then turned on my right Hand into Fish-street, where the chief Politician of that Quarter, upon hearing the News, (after having taken a Pipe of Tobacco, and ruminated for fome time) If, fays he, the King of France is certainly Dead we fhall have Plenty of Mackerell this Seafon; our Fishery will not be disturbed by Privateers, as it has been for these ten Years paft. He afterwards confidered how the Death of this great Man would affect our Pilchards, and by feveral other Remarks infufed a general Joy into his whole Audience.

I after

I afterwards entred a By-Coffee-house that stood at the upper End of a narrow Lane, where I met with a Nonjuror, engaged very warmly with a Laceman who was the great Support of a neighbouring Conventicle. The Matter in Debate was, whether the late French King was moft like Auguftus Cafar, or Nero. The Controverfie was carried on with great Heat on both fides, and as each of them looked upon me very frequently during the Course of their Debate, I was under fome Apprehenfion that they would appeal to me,and therefore laid down my Penny at the Barr, and made the best of my way to Cheapfide.

I here gazed upon the Signs for fome time before I found one to my Purpose. The firft Object I met in the Coffee-Room was a Perfon who expreffed a great Grief for the Death of the French King; but upon his explaining himself, I found his Sorrow did not arife from the Lofs of the Monarch, but for his having fold out of the Bank about three Days before he heard the News of it: Upon which a Haberdafher, who was the Oracle of the Coffeehoufe, and had his Circle of Admirers about him, called feveral to witness that he had declared his Opinion above a Week before, that the French King was certainly dead; to which he added, that confidering the late Advices we had received from France, it was impoffible that it could be otherwife. As he was laying thefe together, and dictating to his Hearers with great Authority, there came in a Gentleman from Garraway's, who told us that there were feveral Letters from France just come in, with Advice that the King was in good Health, and was gone out a Hunting the very Morning the Poft came away: Upon which the Haberdasher stole of his Hat that hung upon a Wooden Pegg by him, and retired to his Shop with great Confufion. This Intelligence put ja

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