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One might give many instances of this in a late -lish monarch under the title of The gaieties of Charles II.' This prince was by nature exely familiar, of very easy access, and much deted to see and be seen; and this happy temper, ch in the highest degree gratified his people's ty, did him more service with his loving subthan all his other virtues, though it must be Fessed he had many. He delighted, though a hty king, to give and take a jest, as they say: a prince of this fortunate disposition, who were ined to make an ill use of his power, may have thing of his people, be it never so much to their udice. But this good king made generally a y innocent use, as to the public, of this insnaring per; for, it is well known, he pursued pleasure e than ambition. He seemed to glory in being first man at cock-matches, horse-races, balls, and ys; he appeared highly delighted on those occais, and never failed to warm and gladden the heart every spectator. He more than once dined with good citizens of London on their lord-mayor's, and did so the year that Sir Robert Viner was yor. Sir Robert was a very loyal man, and, if i will allow the expression, very fond of his sovegn; but, what with the joy he felt at heart for the nour done him by his prince, and through the rmth he was in with continual toasting healths to royal family, his lordship grew a little fond of his jesty, and entered into a familiarity not altogether graceful in so public a place. The king underood very well how to extricate himself in all kind difficulties, and, with a hint to the company to oid ceremony, stole off and made towards his coach, nich stood ready for him in Guildhall-yard. But e mayor liked his company so well, and was grown intimate, that he pursued him hastily, and, catch

ing him fast by the hand, cried out with a vehement oath and accent, Sir, you shall stay and take t'other bottle.' The airy monarch looked kindly at him over his shoulder, and with a smile and graceful air, for I saw him at the time, and do now, repeated this line of the old song:

He that's drunk is as great as a king,

and immediately returned back and complied with his landlord.

“I give you this story, Mr. Spectator, because, as I said, I saw the passage; and I assure you it is very true, and yet no common one; and when I tell you the sequel, you will say I have yet a better reason for it. This very mayor afterwards erected a statue of his merry monarch in Stocks-market *, and did the crown many and great services; and it was owing to this humour of the king, that his family had so great a fortune shut up in the exchequer of their pleasant sovereign. The many good-natured condescensions of this prince are vulgarly known; and it is excellently said of him by a great hand †, which writ his character, that he was not a king a quarter of an hour together in his whole reign. He would receive visits even from fools and half madmen; and at times I have met with people who have boxed, fought at back-sword, and taken poison before

The equestrian statue of Charles II. in Stocks-market, erected at the sole charge of Sir Robert Viner, was originally made for John Sobieski, King of Poland; but by some accident it had been left on the workman's hands. To save time and expense, the Polander was converted into a Briton, and the Turk underneath his horse into Oliver Cromwell, to complete the compliment. Unfortunately the turban on the Turk's head was overlooked, and left an undeniable proof of this story. See Stowe's Survey, &c. ed. 1755, p. 517. vol. i. and Ralph's Review, &c. edit. 1736, p. 9. + Sheffield duke of Buckingham, who said, that, on a premediCharles II. could not act the part of a king for a moment.'

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Charles II. In a word, he was so pleasant a that no one could be sorrowful under his goent. This made him capable of baffling, with reatest ease imaginable, all suggestions of jea; and the people could not entertain notions of hing terrible in him, whom they saw every way able. This scrap of the familiar part of that e's history I thought fit to send you, in complito the request you lately made to your correlents.

"I am, SIR,

"Your most humble servant."

463. THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 1712.

Omnia quæ sensu volvuntur vota diurno,
Pectore sopito reddit amica quies.
Venator defessa toro cùm membra reponit,

Mens tamen ad silvas et sua lustra redit.
Judicibus lites, auriga somnia currus,

Vanaque nocturnis meta cavetur equis.
Me quoque Musarum studium sub nocte silenti
Artibus assuetis sollicitare solet.

CLAUD. PRÆF. IN VI CONS. HONOR.

In sleep, when fancy is let loose to play,
Our dreams repeat the wishes of the day.
Though further toil his tired limbs refuse,
The dreaming hunter still the chace pursues.
The judge a-bed dispenses still the laws,
And sleeps again o'er the unfinish'd cause.
The dozing racer hears his chariot roll,
Smacks the vain whip, and shuns the fancied goal.
Me too the Muses in the silent night,

With wonted chimes of jingling verse delight.

VAS lately entertaining myself with comparing mer's balance, in which Jupiter is represented as

weighing the fates of Hector and Achilles, with a passage of Virgil, wherein that deity is introduced as weighing the fates of Turnus and Eneas. I then considered how the same way of thinking prevailed in the eastern parts of the world, as in those noble passages of Scripture, wherein we are told, that the great king of Babylon, the day before his death, had been weighed in the balance, and been found wanting. In other places of the holy writings, the Almighty is described as weighing the mountains in scales, making the weight for the winds, knowing the balancings of the clouds; and in others as weighing the actions of men, and laying their calamities together in a balance. Milton, as I have observed in a former paper, had an eye to several of these foregoing instances in that beautiful description, wherein he represents the archangel and the evil spirit as addressing themselves for the combat, but parted by the balance which appeared in the heavens, and weighed the consequences of such a battle.

Th' Eternal, to prevent such horrid fray,
Hung forth in heaven his golden scales, yet seen
Betwixt Astrea and the Scorpion sign;
Wherein all things created first he weigh'd,
The pendulous round earth, with balanced air,
In counterpoise, now ponders all events,

Battles and realms; in these he put two weights,
The sequel each of parting and of fight.

The latter quick up flew, and kick'd the beam;

Which Gabriel spying, thus bespake the fiend:

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Satan, I know thy strength, and thou know'st mine :

Neither our own, but given. What folly, then,

To boast what arms can do, since thine no more

Than Heaven permits; nor mine, though doubled more
To trample thee as mire! For proof look up,

And read thy lot in yon celestial sign,

Where thou art weigh'd, and shown how light, how weak,
If thou resist.' The fiend looked up, and knew
His mounted scale aloft: nor more; but fled
Murm'ring, and with him fled the shades of night.

PAR. LOST. iv. 996.

hese several amusing thoughts, having taken ession of my mind some time before I went to , and mingling themselves with my ordinary s, raised in my imagination a very odd kind of n. I was, methought, replaced in my study; and ed in my elbow chair, where I had indulged the going speculations with my lamp burning by me ual. Whilst I was here meditating on several ects of morality, and considering the nature of y virtues and vices, as materials for those disses with which I daily entertain the public, I methought, a pair of golden scales hanging by ain of the same metal, over the table that stood re me; when, on a sudden, there were great os of weights thrown down on each side of them. und, upon examining these weights, they showhe value of every thing that is in esteem among - I made an essay of them, by putting the weight wisdom in one scale, and that of riches in anr; upon which, the latter, to show its compae lightness, immediately flew up and kicked the

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ut, before I proceed, I must inform my reader, these weights did not exert their natural gravity they were laid in the golden balance, insomuch I could not guess which was light or heavy st I held them in my hand. This I found by ral instances; for upon my laying a weight in of the scales, which was inscribed by the word rnity,' though I threw in that of time, proity, affliction, wealth, poverty, interest, sucwith many other weights, which in my hand ned very ponderous, they were not able to stir opposite balance; nor could they have prevailed, igh assisted with the weight of the sun, the s, and the earth.

pon emptying the scales, I laid several titles and

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